


Divine Intervention

by Tyger_Tyger_Burning_Bright



Category: Zootopia
Genre: Awkwardness, Canon Divergence, DISCLAIMER: Zootopia and it's characters belong to Disney, Eventual Fluff, F/M, Family Drama, Marital Drama, Nick is displaced but will show up later, Originally Titled: A Very Awkward Arrangement, POV Alternating, Political Marriage, Slow Romance, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-03
Updated: 2019-04-20
Packaged: 2019-07-06 07:15:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 29,331
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15881196
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tyger_Tyger_Burning_Bright/pseuds/Tyger_Tyger_Burning_Bright
Summary: Without Nick to help her, Judy's 48 hours run out. Two months after sending the young rabbit home, Chief Bogo is summoned to Mayor Lionheart's office. The end result changes his life forever...in a very strange way.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I present a very strange tale of politics, marriage, and awkward situations. There is now telling how long the journey is but I hope you'll stick around for it. Updates will be weekly at best, monthly at neutral, and sporadically at worst.
> 
> Please, stay as Serendipity's brother Murphy messes with Zootopia's plot by manipulating events and pushing two very different mammals together.
> 
> Enjoy...

 

* * *

 

> _“Stories can be told many different ways, different characters taking center stage while others are pushed off to later. This story here, your beloved Zootopia is a good story, award winning even. But it’s not the only one to be told. Take the deuteragonist away and the tritagonist steps forward in his place. But what place is that? You shall soon see.” –Murphy_
> 
> * * *
> 
>  

Bogo knew from Lionheart’s tone on the phone that he was not in a good mood. A pissed off lion was never a good thing but a pissed of politician was even worse. The last time Bogo dreaded the mayor’s interference this badly was when he assigned that rabbit to his precinct a few months ago.

Luckily, she’d been dealt with just as quickly as she came. She was probably back in Bunny-Burrow, digging up carrots and moving on with her life. Bogo knew that giving her that ridiculous deadline was low and sneaky but he didn’t have a choice. That rabbit was painfully naïve of the city and how it worked. Her starry-eyed slant on life would have gotten herself or another mammal killed.

Every now and then his conscience flared up but his logical side pointed out that reasons were sound even if his methods were unethical. Not to mention the Missing Mammals case took up a majority of his time, especially now that the numbers were nearing twenty.

Taking in a deep breath, the large Cape buffalo quickly moved inside City Hall and headed for Lionheart’s office. He quickly skirted passed the assistant mayor hurrying somewhere with a stack of papers and made his way into Lionheart’s office.

The moment he walked in, Lionheart held a steady glare and never took his eyes off of him.

“You wanted to see me Mayor Lionheart.” Bogo slowly sank into the chair, the hairs on his body standing up straight as the large predator continued to size him up.

“Yes, I did Chief Bogo. Do you know why I wanted to see you?” the big cat feigned disinterest by looking at his claws and buffing them against his blazer before returning his gaze to Bogo.

“No, Mayor, I don’t know.”

“Well, I’ll give you a hint.” Lionheart slid a police academy file across the desk to him. “It has to do with the young woman in this file.

Bogo mentally cursed. Even without opening the file he already knew that this was about the rabbit. He opened it anyway and there staring back at him was the bunny who tried to be a cop.

“I want to know why the face of my Mammal Inclusion Initiative really quit.”

Bogo shut the file. “I can send to you her letter of resignation, but I cannot say for certain what her personal reasons w—”

Lionheart slammed a fist on the desk. “Enough! I have information suggesting that the only personal problems that caused her to quit were your own. Ah—” Lionheart interrupted when Bogo attempted to defend himself. “—before you try denying it you might wanna take a listen to this.” Lionheart pulled out a digital recorder that gave Bogo a really bad feeling. He hit play.

_—I will give you forty-eight hours._

_—Yes!_

_—That’s two days to find Emmitt Otterton._

_—Okay._

_—But, you strike out, you resign._

_—Oh! Uh…okay. Deal._

_—Splendid! Clawhauser will g—_

Lionheart clicked the recorder off while Bogo tried to simultaneously think of a reasonable excuse for his actions and figure out who recorded them. He doubted the rabbit or she would have done something by now, it had been two months since she’d resigned.

“Explain!” Lionheart gestured violently at the recorder.

“I…” Bogo sighed “Mayor, with all due respect, a police force is no place for a rabbit. She was just going to get herself or someone else killed.”

“She was valedictorian of her class! How is that unqualified?”

“Valediction or not she is still a rabbit. Not to mention the academy is a contained environment with medics on stand bye.”

“So you kick her out by giving her a ridiculous timeline on a case that the best and brightest of the ZPD haven’t been able to solve in weeks! If word gets out about this not only will it cost you your job but city could suffer even more. Do you know where a majority of the produce sold in Zootopia comes from? The Tri-Burrows!”

The lion laughed bitterly, slumping back down in his seat. “The citizens of Zootopia are completely ignorant of how easy it would be for the Tri-Burrows to hurt us. I’m not saying that they will, we give them most of their business after all, but it would only take one disgruntled farmer to…”

Lionheart growled, before pounding his first into the table pointed one of his claws in Bogo’s face. “You are going to fix this!”

“How? You want me to hire the rabbit back? It’s been two months, she’s probably moved on with her life. Besides, it would just look more suspicious if she was suddenly hired back after a two month absence.”

Lionheart snorted, shaking his head, “Oh, no. You are not hiring her back. You and your officers would just be even worse on her than before. No…” A Cheshire grin stretched across Lionheart's face.

That was not a good smile, not at all.

“I have something else in mind.”

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed the prologue. The first full chapter will be up soon.
> 
> Definitions just in case you don't know:
> 
> Deuteragonist: secondary character, usually assists main character during story—Nick Wilde in the movie.
> 
> Tritagonist: tertiary character, usually creates problems for the protagonist but isn't the antagonist—Chief Bogo in the movie


	2. Home Sweet Home?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The drive home was tense.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello and thank you for taking interest in this strange tale. I would especially like to thank the seven who gave me kudos for the prologue. Thank you sur1sur, CombatEngineer, Treerat, Foxlover25, and three guests for giving your support. Triple for Treerat being writing the first comment and being the first to bookmark this work. Thank you all tons.
> 
> As you can tell I've renamed this fic. My reason being this name just fits much better than the old one when it comes to Murphy's interference in the world Zootopia. I've also cleaned up the tags.
> 
> Please enjoy the first complete chapter of Divine Intervention!

* * *

 

The drive home was tense. Bogo’s grip on the steering wheel was tight enough to leave hoof marks in the material.

How had this happened? How had Bogo let his life get turned upside down like this? These were the questions that kept spinning around in the Cape buffalo’s mind as he drove to his apartment.

No…it wasn’t just his apartment anymore. Brown eyes roved over to the rabbit sitting in the passenger seat of his car. Judy Hopps was dwarfed by the large mammal seat and the belt was thick enough to cover her chest and abdomen. She’d been silent since Bellwether had brought her into Lionheart’s office, not that Bogo could blame her.

Bellwether! That’s how all of this happened. The sheep was shrewder than he’d given her credit for. He still didn’t know how she’d recorded his and Hopps’ conversation so clearly through the door or even how she timed it so perfectly but Bogo knew it had to be her. Hopps didn’t seem anymore thrilled with this arrangement than himself and Mrs. Otterton would have taken legal action by now.

He’d have to keep an eye on that sheep from now on.

The Cape buffalo pulled into his apartment complex, still unsure of how to even to begin to deal with all of this. He longed for one of the imported cigars tucked away in his desk. It was a nasty habit, yes, but one that persisted over the years.

Bogo turned off the car and just sat there for a few moments. If Hopps found his behavior strange she didn’t say anything.

Internally Bogo cringed. He needed to stop calling her “Hopps” now before it became another habit. It wasn’t even her last name anymore. He'd watched her sign the change of name form in Lionheart’s office right after their impromptu nuptials.

Out of all of the things Lionheart could force Bogo into, a political marriage to a rabbit was the last thing on his mind. Actually, it never occurred to him at all.

Still, he had no room to argue. The situation could have ended much worse.

“We’re here.” After getting out of the car, Bogo trekked over to the passenger side to open the door for his…wife.

He wouldn't be adjusting to this anytime soon.

Hop—Judy hopped out of the car, one small suitcase in her paws. Was that all she brought? Or was her family sending the rest of her belongings later? Even so, Bogo doubted that she’d take up much room.

She followed him quietly to the door. This was a very different rabbit than the one he met two months ago. That Judy had been a spitfire, ready to rush out into the field without thinking…but the rabbit following him now was silent and subdued.

Bogo opened the door to the apartment, holding the door open for Judy before closing it behind them.

His apartment opened up into the kitchen/dining area that lead into a den with two bedrooms, a bathroom, and a closet leading off of the den. There was a master bath connected to the master bedroom.

“Where do you want me to put this?”

It was the first thing Judy had said all night and Bogo could see why. It sounded like she was recovering from laryngitis.

“This way…do you need something for you throat?”

She shook her head no and they proceeded to the master bedroom. Carefully, he picked Judy up and set her on the bed. She looked confused until he took her suitcase and set it on the nightstand to her right.

“While I’d like to discuss our new arrangement, I think that conversation is best left for tomorrow when we both have clearer heads. Today has been a rather eventful and exhausting day.” Judy nodded, rubbing her throat before pulling what looked like a cough drop out of her pocket.

“Luckily tomorrow’s my day off.” Luck had nothing to do with it, this was all planned.

Back in his office, Lionheart told Bogo and Judy that they had a day to sort things out before their marriage hit the news. The politician even had an entire narrative written out for them:

> “Two months ago, young ambitious Judy Hopps quits the ZPD in order to help out after a string of wildfires struck the Tri-Burrows and its surrounding area. Now you, Bogo, touched by her unwavering dedication to her hometown, stayed in touch with the young rabbit and so began your love story. It’s a love that burns hot and quick like the wildfires that brought you together leading to the present day where you two elope.”

Bogo had to resist the urge to gag. It was fluffy piece of crock that every news station and gossip column would eat up. At least until a celebrity overdosed or got a DUI or some other stupid thing. Bogo did not look forward to the press following them around for the next few weeks or months even. Hopefully, some more scandalous news would pop up soon.

Judy crawled over to her suitcase, pulling out a pair of pajamas. Before she could jump down, Bogo stopped her.

“Wait. You change in here. I’ll change in the bathroom.” He grabbed his pajamas while speaking. Judy paused before nodding and sitting back down on the bed, waiting for him to leave. It didn’t take long to change out of his uniform and into the flannel pajama bottoms and tank top that consisted of his usual nightwear.

Here in lay the next problem: where was she sleeping?

Ordinarily Bogo would have put Judy in the guest bedroom, at least for tonight, except the guest bed currently had no mattress. He’d been putting off buying a new mattress for the room so he had an excuse when his nieces asked to spend the night. He loved them to death, but they were rambunctious and with the Missing Mammals Case looming over his head like a Damocles sword he really didn’t need them underfoot at the moment.

That left the couches in the den and the master bedroom itself. Judy could easily fit on any of the cushions but it seemed like a bad way to start off their marriage.

The master bedroom, while the most obvious choice, it made him nervous. She was so small. What if he rolled over and crushed her? Bogo didn’t think he was a restless sleeper but now seemed like a bad time to test out that theory.

That left him with one other option: stalling for more time.

“Why don’t we head back to the kitchen for some food? Just don’t expect anything fancy; I haven’t been home much for the last few months. There should be some cans of soup though.”

Judy nodded, hopping down from the bed and following him to the kitchen. Seeing her glance between the dining table and counter for a few moments, Bogo lifted the smaller mammal onto the table before turning to gather the soup cans from the pantry. He had vegetable soup, tomato basil, potato soup, minestrone, mushroom soup, and onion soup. To keep Judy from straining her voice, Bogo told her to hold up the same number of fingers that corresponded with the order he listed soup in. She pondered for a few moments before holding up two fingers, indicating the tomato basil.

An awkward silence fell over the two as Bogo heated up the soup. Judy’s laryngitis prevented her from filling it, leaving the burden of conversation on Bogo which he hated. Small talk had never been his strong suit. He preferred getting to the point quickly and efficiently.

He settled on something simple and impersonal, refreshments.

Opening the fridge, Bogo turned and asked if Judy wanted anything to drink while the soup heated up. She hesitated before nodding. He offered her milk, water, orange juice, apple juice, and one of the bottled lemon teas he kept. She picked the tea.

He dug out one of his nieces’ glasses and bowls because they were the only dishes he had that were near her size. Since she didn’t seem to be that thirsty, he filled the glass up about half way before handing it to her. She nodded in thanks before taking a drink. He drank the rest of the bottle.

His ear flicked as the soup started simmering, taking it off the heat and dividing the soup between two bowls. Never in his life had Bogo been so thankful to have all of these calf-sized dishes and eating utensils around.

Still, they’d need to get some rabbit sized dining ware soon. Whether they bought it or her family sent over some spares he didn’t care but he doubted Judy would want to keep eating and drinking from _Floatzen_ glasses and _Wreck It Rhino_ bowls.

That awkward silence again reared its ugly head. Where was Clawhauser when you needed him? The cheetah could talk for hours on any one subject without letting the other mammal get a word in edgewise. While it could certainly be annoying at this moment having any one talking would a boon.

The two more or less finished eating at the same time. After Bogo washed the dishes, he was again faced with the dilemma he’d tried to put off earlier: sleeping arrangements.

Once they reentered the bedroom, Bogo decided it was best to leave this decision up to Judy. She was the one who was risking getting squished after all.

“You can choose to sleep in here with me or on one of the couch cushions. Or you can sleep in here and I can take the sofa.” Bogo cringed before stating the next part aloud. “I’d understand if you were anxious about being squished if we were to share a bed.”

With no hesitation Judy held up one finger. Bogo blinked in surprise. Despite his girth and everything that happened two months ago, she trusted that he wouldn’t squish her? It didn’t make sense.

Before Bogo could ask if she was sure, Judy had already settled down on the right-side pillow. He hadn’t thought about that. Her small, lithe body fit on the pillow perfectly.

Carefully the large bovine followed suit, peeling back the covers he slid in on the opposite side of the bed.

Judy breathed softly next to him, her warm breath tickling his ear. Giving his new wife a quick, “good night,” Bogo’s eyes closed. Sleep came quicker than he thought it would.

* * *

_*Dreamscape*_

Bogo stood in a beach that was mostly dark, sunlight hitting it at an odd and unnatural angle. The large Cape buffalo walked around for what seemed like miles before he came across anything.

What he found was…strange. There was a platform with a tree growing out of it, both of which had melting pocket watches hanging on them. Another watch sat completely on the platform but it wasn’t melting. There were ants crawling all over to.

Walking to the other side of the platform he found another melting watch only this was on a…on a… actually, he wasn’t sure what it was. It was a large white furred…creature with one large eye. Near that was a strange…actually he didn’t want even want to fathom what that opening was.

Either way, he now recognized the dreamscape. He’d studied it during Art Appreciation his Freshman Year.

What was he doing in Salvador Doggie’s _The Persistence of Memory_? He hadn’t dreamed about it when he studied it all those years ago, it made no sense why it would he dream about it now.

“Personally, I like the ambiance. I’ve always felt a strong connection to Doggie’s work.”

Bogo whipped around, trying to find the source of the male voice. He looked all around but there was no one. He was completely alone outside of that creature with the pocket watch melting on it.

“Well, you’re slower than I expected. No wonder you still haven’t solved the Missing Mammals Case.”

Bogo whipped around to face the creature. Yes, it was the creature that was speaking to him despite having no visible mouth.

“I’ll have you know that the best and brightest of the ZPD is working hard to solve this case and bring those mammals back to their families! I won’t have you—figment of my imagination or not—insulting myself or my officers. Is. That. Clear.”

The large eye opened and roved around until it found him. The eye was an eerie pale color that Bogo couldn’t pin point. Though the creature had no mouth, Bogo just knew that it was smirking at him.

“Ohh… Touchy, touchy…though, I can’t really blame you for being on edge. Almost twenty mammals have gone missing on your watch—heh, excuse the play on our currently scenery—, the mayor foists a stubborn naïve rabbit on you, and then you’re later forced to marry that same rabbit two months after forcing her out the job she worked so hard to get.”

Bogo ground his teeth, a mixture of rage and guilt bubbling in his gut.

“You wanna punch me, don’t you? Might I remind you that your temper is what got you in this situation in the first place?”

As much as it pained him to admit it…the creature had a point. If he hadn’t forced that ridiculous timeline on Hopps in the first place then…well, there was no point in beating himself about it now. The past was the past.

“It’s true; there is nothing you can do about it right now. All you can do is try and figure out how to deal with the current situation. Although I honestly I don’t see what you’re complaining about. You are married to a beautiful young woman. Many men would love to be in your position.”

“You’re starting to sound a lot like that annoying lion.” Lionheart had said something similar when he proposed this insipid idea.

The only reason Bogo agreed was because of the damn recording. Lionheart threatened to send the recording to the press if Bogo didn’t cooperate. That would not only ruin his career but also the reputation of the ZPD. They’d never be trusted again, riots would start, and complete anarchy would destroy the city.

He vowed to protect the city and intended to keep that promise.

“You’re more alike than you think you know. The rabbit, I mean, not the lion.”

Bogo snorted, unbelieving. Judy was impulsive, overemotional, and still looked at the world through rose tinted glasses. Meanwhile, he’d seen horrors that would probably never leave his imagination. He couldn’t see how they were at all similar.

“It’s true…You are different, foils of one another in fact, but at your cores you both want the same thing.”

“And that is?”

“To make the world a better place.” The creature shifted then, melding and molding itself into a white rabbit that wore a strange black robe-like outfit.

“As much as I enjoy Doggie’s work, that form is troublesome to keep together.” He jumped, floating in front of Bogo. “I realize you think that this is all a dream, but I can assure you it isn’t. I am real, though whether you choose to believe is your own decision.” A long oriental pipe appeared in the rabbit’s hand and he took a long drag before breathing out, smoke exited his nose and forming another rabbit.

Judy.

“You could do worse, much worse. And she…” he paused smirking at Bogo. “She could do so much better.” Bogo snorted. “But, despite that I do think you two will be alright. Just give her a chance; she could surprise you.”

“I don’t exactly have much of a choice on the matter.”

“No, I suppose you don’t. Why would you? You’ve already taken choice out of the equation.”

“And just how do you suggest I handle the situation?”

“You could simply ignore her, acting all lovey-dovey when the public demanded it…but you won’t do that.” Another drag, another breath and smoke wrapped around the smoke sculpture of Judy forming a police uniform. “You still feel guilty for that stunt you pulled two months ago.”

Bogo pinched the bridge of his nose. Why was his subconscious as annoying as Lionheart? “It would seem that I am already being punished for that. Stop beating around the bush and get to the point.”

The rabbit’s pale eye glowed red in the fading light, an amused smile stretched across his face. “You don’t regret forcing her out of the department or tricking her even. You should, but you don’t.” Bogo glared up at the rabbit. “No…what you regret is something else entirely. And that is the guilt that still haunts you.”

Bogo snorted, calming himself down. Getting mad at this figment of his imagination wouldn’t do him any good. “And just what exactly is it that I’m so guilt ridden over?”

Over the years he dealt with many a charlatan and psychic claiming to have knowledge pertaining to cases and whatnot. All of them were just leeches hoping to get their claws, hooves, and paws into the victims or grieving family members. He’d learned how to deal with them.

He wasn’t about to get hustled in his own mind.

The rabbit simply smiled and said nothing, taking another drag of his pipe.

The next form his smoke took was simpler than the others but at the same time it was probably the most powerful one yet.

A large tentacle like shape pierced the smoke effigy of Judy through the chest. The smoke rabbit even feigned pained as her face winced and twisted in agony, like she was actually being fatally stabbed.

Bogo flinched. He couldn’t stop the reaction and he hoped that the stupid dream-rabbit hadn’t seen it.

Judging by the smirk on his face, though, he had.

The rabbit floated away over to the clock with the ants on it. He brushed them off saying, “Well, look at the time. I should let you go. After all, you and your wife have much to discuss.”

He bowed and began fading along with the landscape into shadow as the sun finally dipped down beyond the horizon.

But not before saying one last thing.

“It just occurred to me that I forgot to introduce myself. Call me Murphy.”

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Please leave comments below!
> 
> The next chapter should be up soon, within a week at or within a month at worst. It will be from Judy's POV so even though she can't talk much you'll still get to see her side of things.
> 
> See you soon!


	3. A Little Less Conversation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She scribbled out her first message. Scrawled in large angry letters was, I am not a child!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for joining me for the third chapter of Divine Intervention! I've revised the prologue, giving Lionheart some more lines and a bit more reasoning for his due diligence so if you haven't seen check it out!
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

* * *

 

The next morning it didn’t take Judy long to remember where she was and who she was with. If the fact that she was sleeping on a large mammal sized pillow hadn’t tipped her off, the large Cape buffalo snoring next to her certainly would have.

At twenty-four years old she never expected to be married to a virtual stranger. She didn’t even know Bogo’s first name! Their wedding had been strictly political and technical, a simple signing of documents and licenses. Lionheart said they could handle all of the personal and spiritual sections on their own. As long as their marriage held up legally the lion didn’t care what they did.

Judy was tempted to just flop back down and get some sleep; anything to put off the inevitable awkward conversation heading her way.

Judy had never been so thankful for laryngitis in her life. Sure, it was annoying not being able to cough up what felt like a ping pong sized ball of phlegm in her throat but it kept her from saying anything she regretted. That was how this entire thing started after all.

Judy didn’t regret volunteering to help Mrs. Otterton help find her husband; she just wished she’d been smarter about it. Let Bogo cool off before aggravating him again. Maybe later on she could’ve convinced him to give her that case or any case. Then she would have had more time, resources, and a training officer to help her.

Judy hopped down from the bed, shaking off the morning’s doubt and gloom. There was nothing she could do to change the past. All the matter was learning from it and moving forward. Trying to put off the inevitable would only worsen this situation.

Grabbing a change of clothes, Judy made her way to the master bath. It took some maneuvering to open and close the door but she managed. The last thing Judy wanted was for Bogo to baby her during the entirety of their marriage…even if she did feel a bit like a toddler in his apartment.

Judy paused, correcting herself. _Their_ apartment. _Their_ home. _Their_ burrow. _Their_ …whatever Cape buffalo called their homes.

What did Cape buffalo call their homes? Judy made a mental note to look that up later.

Clothes, towel, and toiletry in hand, Judy hopped up onto the bathroom counter. Near the left-side sink was a toothbrush holder with one toothbrush in it, and bar of soap setting on the side. The right-side sink had none of these and it didn’t look like Bogo was used very much if at all.

Judy scampered over to the right-side sink and pulled down the stopper before turning on the water. Checking the water with her paw, she adjusted it until it was comfortable. When the sink was two-thirds of the way full, she turned it off.

Undressing, Judy placed her toiletries on the edge of the sink before dipping into the water. She sighed, sinking further into the water. A nice hot bath was just was she needed and the buffalo sized sink was the perfect size for her. Sure, she could’ve tried using the colossal tub to her right, but if there was one thing rabbits learned quickly it was that jumping and wet surfaces do not mix.

After washing herself, Judy drained the sink and grabbed her towel. She dried off in the sink so she didn’t drip water all over the counter.

Judy was still drying herself when a sleepy Bogo enter the bathroom, heading for the tub. He grabbed a towel and before Judy could do anything to alert him to her presence, he stripped.

Judy froze and sank down into the sink, trying to hide.

He was naked! What was she supposed to do now? He didn’t seem to have noticed her yet but how would he react when he did? She still wasn’t dry!

The quiet of the bathroom was halted when Bogo turned the water on, filling the tub. This was her chance, if she was going to leave now was her time. The sound of the water should be enough to cover her open and closing the door.

If only her body would move.

Her window came and went, with her still frozen in the sink. Bogo turned off the water and stepped into the tub, slowly sinking into the water. His eyes were closed, which was a blessing considering her was facing her.

The moment he opened his eyes, he’d see her and...and what? It wasn’t like he was going to yell at her for taking a bath in his sink, was he? Maybe it would be just as awkward for him as it was for her.

Without opening his eyes Bogo spoke, “I know that you’re there, Judy. There’s no point in trying to hide in the sink.”

Judy jumped. She hadn’t been expecting that. If he noticed her why hadn’t he said anything? Why not let her dry off before coming in here and getting all naked? Maybe he just liked torturing her?

“If you’re not comfortable in here with me, I suggest you finish drying and dress yourself. I’ll keep my eyes closed either until I hear the door open and close or until the water starts to turn lukewarm, whichever comes first. If you’re still in here by then you’ll just have to deal with the consequences, Judy.” He waited. After setting downs his ultimatums he just waited.

Gulping, Judy shakily stood and finished drying herself off. Hanging the towel on the edge of the sink, Judy slowly climbed out. She quickly dressed and, grabbing her nightclothes, hopped down onto the floor.

After exiting the room, Judy stuffed her nightclothes into the laundry bag she brought with her and waited for Bogo on the bed.

She sat on the bed hugging her knees to her chest and pushed her head between her legs. Why had he done that? He’d left the room yesterday when she wanted to change. Why was he suddenly acting so pushy?

Judy sighed. Then again it wasn’t like either of them wanted her here. Judy had her own reasons for accepting Lionheart’s deal.

There was some truth to Lionheart’s little fable: a series of wildfires had struck the Tri-Burrows area. They just didn’t cause the kind of damage Lionheart alluded to. Sure some fields and crop were lost, but not that much when compared to the relative size each farm was.

Most of the fire had hit the forests and fields surrounding the Tri-Burrows. Here in lie the real problem.

Because of the damage to their natural habitat, all of the birds, lizards, and snakes that had all been living in the forests and fields had migrated into the Tri-Burrows. This meant that now all of the farms were dealing with a large pest problem as birds, lizards and other animals ate up their crops. The community was working hard in trying to get the fire damaged area habitable again but that would still take some time.

In exchange for her marrying Bogo, Lionheart would help raise capital to help the Tri-Burrows revitalize the forest and meadows by transplanting trees, bushes, flowers, and other plants into the area. Lionheart was also going to see about to allowing off-season hunting to bring down the pest population.

Finally there was the Raptor Patrol. With Lionheart’s backing, not only was the Patrol getting new equipment but also getting his support in being recognized as an official unit. This was good; the Raptor Patrol had been underfunded and undermanned for years. Luckily, the Tri-Burrows had never had much need for the patrol…until now.

Admittedly, Judy had frozen where she stood when Lionheart mentioned the terms and conditions. Marriage? Judy had never even been on a date! She been focused one hundred percent on the becoming a police officer. Her sisters mentioned as much when they heard that she was getting married to Bogo. Her older sister Bernadette compared it to taking your driving test in a bus.

Of course, Judy doubted anything intimate would happen. Their size differences notwithstanding, Judy doubted Bogo even thought of her as an adult. It wasn’t that uncommon for larger mammals to treat smaller mammals like children or pets. So long as he didn’t start using baby talk on her, she’d deal with it though.

The door to the bathroom opened and Judy lifted her head only to immediately jerk it back down. During her little reverie, she’d forgotten that Bogo had come into the bathroom without a change of clothes. Bogo came out of the bathroom with only a towel covering his…his…

Her ears twitched as a dresser draw opened and clothes rustled. Judy felt like she could pass out, but that might have been because she was holding her breath.

“You can look now.” Judy lifted her head again, this time to a fully clothed Bogo. “Sorry for startling you earlier, but since we are living together we should probably get used to situations like that. That is why you insisted on sharing the bed, right?” Judy nodded.

Bogo was right. If this was going to be her home, she’d live in it as such. That meant sleeping in the same bed as her husband.

Was that stunt in the bathroom pay back for that?

“How about we have some breakfast before we begin our discussion?” Judy nodded at the same time her stomach growled, loudly. Blushing, Judy tried to ignore the snicker that escaped Bogo’s lips but it was heard.

It was the most light-hearted Bogo had ever interacted with her.

Hopping down to the floor, Judy followed Bogo into the kitchen. As she expect, he lifted her up onto the table before he turned to cook breakfast. She could’ve hopped up onto the table herself quite easily but it was very poor manners and could potentially lead to broken dishes or landing in someone’s food.

She doubted Bogo was aware of this but that was what this discussion was for, right?

“Mason.” Judy flicked her head up to the police chief, who was now looking through the pantry for breakfast.

“Mason is my given name. I just realized that despite everything that happened yesterday, my first name never came up.”

Judy nodded even though he wasn’t looking at her. Mason Bogo…she’d have to get used to that. She had to get used to her new name as well. Judy Bogo…Judy Bogo…Judy Laverne Bogo…Judy Laverne Bogo nee Hopps…Mason and Judy Bogo…

The entire thing sounded very strange, like an old episode of the _Tiger Zone_.

“Pancakes all right with you?” Bogo asked her, holding up a box of pancake mix. Judy nodded.

After they ate, Bogo pulled out a large pad of paper. “We’ll use this to communicate until your throat gets better…do you need something to write with?” Judy shook her head, pulling out her carrot pen.

“Good…now, first we should probably set up some ground rules since we are going to be living together “till death do us part.” My first rule is this,” he turned to face her, looking very much like the same buffalo that had hustled her a few months before. Judy had to fight her nose from twitching. “No getting involved in cases or police business. You are not an officer or even a meter maid. Understood?” Judy managed a tiny nod, all the despair of a failed dream rushing back to her all at once.

Of all the mammals she had to marry…why him? She still didn’t understand why he’d agreed to this. Was he in trouble for the Missing Mammals Case or something?

It didn’t seem smart to ask.

“Second, don’t try to hurt yourself doing housework. I’ve managed on my own perfectly fine for the last twenty years and I doubt you’ll add significantly to the workload.”

Judy’s face pinched at this. What was she supposed to do all day then? Lionheart warned them about the press so Judy doubted she’d get a job anytime soon with them following her.

Granted, she didn’t really need one. In addition to Bogo’s career, her parents had set up a stock share for Judy when they heard about the marriage. It wasn’t extravagant, maybe a little better than minimum wage really. They set it up for two reasons: first—they were proud and impressed with their daughter’s dedication to their community, and last—it acted as an emergency fund in case her new husband wasn’t the most loving man in the world to her.

She scribbled out her first message. Scrawled in large angry letters was, I am not a child!

Bogo slipped his reading glasses on, peered at her message, and replied, “Maybe not, but I doubt you can use the broom or vacuum on your own without making a mess. I honestly, don’t mind it.”

Judy was scribbling again. I want to contribute something!

Bogo smiled like they were sharing an inside joke. Unfortunately, she didn’t get it. With a confused expression, Judy scribbled down another question. What’s so funny?

“It may not seem like it but you are contributing. You’re getting that busybody lion off my tail for a while.”

Judy glared at him, which, judging by the increase in Bogo’s smile wasn’t intimidating at all.

She really hated being a bunny sometimes.

Judy put her pen back to the second to last passage and circled it several times.

** I want to contribute something! **

Bogo sighed. “Fine, I’ll figure something out. Later, though. First we need to finish our discussion. My third rule is that when it comes time to meet my relatives…it’ll just be easier to keep up the same public appearance. I do not want them finding out about this ludicrous deal, understand?”

Judy nodded.

“Good…how many of you relatives know about the arrangement?” That was easy just her mom and dad knew the entire details, everyone else was being fed the same yarn Lionheart had spun.

Quickly Judy wrote down her answer. Bogo nodded, “The fewer who know, the better off we will be. Anything you’d like to put down?”

Judy really wanted to write “Don’t call me cute!” but calling her cute in public would be the best way to sell their love story as legit to other rabbits. As her husband, he could call her cute without it being taken offensively despite not being a bunny.

Judy thought for a few moments, One: I stay in your bed with you. It’s the best way for our scents to mix!

He quirked a brow at her demand before asking, “You’re still not worried about being squished?”

Judy wrote a large, No.

“Fine…and you do have a point. Anything else?”

It took Judy a few moments to of something. It kinda felt like a competition. Judy had to come up with as many demands as Mason did or she lost—again!

Judy really hated losing.

Two: No more walking in on me like this morning! Judy was still hot about that.

Bogo nodded. “Very well, though you should know that I didn’t actually see anything. Unlike, you I’m sure.” He smirked at her, obviously enjoying her discomfort.

Judy’s ear burned and flipped behind her head. She glared at the smug look on the buffalo’s face before writing down her last demand.

Three: No calling anyone in my family cute!

Bogo paused, thinking it over before asking, “What about yourself?”

Judy scrawled out her explanation. You’re my husband. It felt very strange to write that down.

Apparently, it was just as strange for Bogo to read it because looked as shocked to see it—or maybe it was her inadvertent permission for him to use the c-word? “So being your husband gives me a free pass at calling you cute.”

Judy just nodded, not really wanting to discuss all the reasons why right now.

“Good to know. Now what’s your favorite color?”

Judy just cocked her head to the side. Where did that come from?

Bogo seemed to notice her confusion because he said, “If we’re going to pull off this ridiculous fairy-tale the mayor concocted, we’ll have to know details like this about one another.”

Judy mouthed an “Oh” before writing down her answer: Pink.

“Blue...How many siblings do you have?”

Now it was Judy’s turn to smirk. It was always funny to see how city mammals reacted to her family size.

321.

Bogo’s reaction was perfect. Brown eyes widening behind his reading glasses, strangling for a few moments on air, and that stunned speechless expression.

The episode in the bathroom was forgiven now.

Trying to calm himself, Bogo breathed in deeply. His voiced squeaked like when he tried to fire her, only to find Assistant Mayor Bellwether talking to Mrs. Otterton and texting Mayor Lionheart the news of her involvement in the case. “That’s…a lot. I have two siblings: a brother and a sister.”

Clearing his throat, Bogo shook his head before continuing their discussion.

“When’s you birthday?”

July 26.

Eyes widening slightly, Bogo raised one of his eyebrows inquisitively at Judy’s answer. “That’s only a few weeks away. How old will you be?”

25.

Bogo hummed, staring at her response. He was quiet for so long that, Judy was about to write down her own question when he spoke suddenly.

“March 17 and I’m currently 45…” Bogo took off his glasses to pinch the bridge of his nose “…putting a twenty year age difference between us. Just who are we going to fool?”

Their ages seemed to snap something in Bogo’s resolve. He looked tired, Judy noticed. Not physically tired but emotionally and mentally.

This was hard for him, Judy realized. Mason didn’t seem like he was much for idle chitchat and he seemed very supportive of his police officers—well, when he liked them, Judy corrected with a cringe.

This scheme required him to lie to his officers who trusted him with their lives. Not only that but he had to go out of his way to be visibly seen with her in public acting all lovey-dovey. To Bogo, that time they’d spend perfecting and acting out their lie would be better spent working on cases—like the Missing Mammals Case.

All of this was piled on top of the frustration from cases and running an entire police department…hah, no wonder he looked exhausted!

Slowly, Judy stood up and padded over to the large buffalo that was now dragging a hoof across his head in frustration. If he noticed her walking over to him he didn’t react.

Not that she could blame him, this was all a lot to take in.

Grabbing fistfuls of his shirt, Judy hugged herself to the large mammal. Her head pressed up against his chest and she could hear his heart beat clearly now. She could only hear it faintly earlier. His heart rate was much slowly than hers.

The large buffalo froze, apparently not expecting the hug. She hadn’t expected to hug him either.

After a few moments, a large hooved hand patted her back and shoulder and a whispered “Thanks” filled her ears.

They stayed like that for a few moments until a knock sounded at the door. Awkwardly, Bogo stood up, looking incredibly uncomfortable.

While he answered the door, Judy sat down and just thought.

They had to make the best out of this bizarre situation…but how to do that? Maybe it would be easier to just ignore one another when they weren’t in the public eye. It sounded like something Mason would prefer, if their past encounters when she had been a police officer were anything to go by.

Judy just wasn’t sure if she could handle it. The truth was there was another reason shed been so insistent on sharing a bed with him, contact. Bunnies were social mammals and contact was a part of that. There was a need to be surrounded by something—generally other mammals. If Judy hadn’t been forced to resign when she did, then the bed to her apartment would have probably been filled with stuffed bunny-rabbit dolls.

Before she could think about it further, Bogo walked back over with a package in hand. He held it up for her to see.

“Lionheart. Since he had a courier deliver it, it probably has to do with the both of us.” Judy nodded.

Setting the package on the table, Bogo walked over to the kitchen to grab a knife. Knife in hand, the package was soon opened and the two mismatch mammals stared at its contents.

Two ring boxes: one rabbit sized and one buffalo sized.

It didn’t take a genius to figure out what was inside.

After opened those boxes, Judy and Bogo just stared at the wedding rings. Symbols of love and commitment…

Well, technically Judy supposed that she did get married out of love and commitment; it just wasn’t for her husband.

Judy peered at the ring in her hand. It was a simple gold band but it looked pricey. Inscribed on the inside was a simple phrase: _My Little Amethyst_.

They both slipped the rings, realization that they were never going back to their old lives cementing in their minds.

The awkward silence permeated between them for a few moments before Bogo cleared his throat.

“How about we get back to those questions?” Judy nodded.

They spend most of the day going over various bits of personal information. What high school and colleges they went to, any clubs or activities they were involved with, religion, hobbies, favorite books and movies.

Judy was a bit surprised when Bogo revealed he smoked cigars but he assured her it was only when things got extremely stressful at work. Likewise, Bogo actually interested when Judy told him that she was in the falconry club in high school.

“Falconry? I thought that had to do with hunting?”

Judy shrugged, flipping over to a new page on the note pad before scribbling more. It can be but falconry for smaller mammals is usually just learning to ride on birds of prey. These birds are specially bred to be ridden.

“Interesting…What bird did you ride?”

Judy felt a smile stretch across her face. She missed Jack.

I rode a red tailed hawk, I called him Jack.

“Called?”

Judy shrugged. He was a training bird, so I didn’t actually own him. His real name Divebomb but I liked Jack better.

“Divebomb?”

You don’t wanna know.

Conversing with Bogo was much more natural than she thought it would be. Still…there was something that was bothering her.

When there was a lull in conversation, Judy pounced.

Should we practice how we’re going to act around each in public?

Bogo’s eyes widened impossibly wide, it looked like they might pop out of his head.

“Yes…I suppose we should practice. At the very least we have to get used to some minor physical intimacy…”

Judy nodded before scratching out some more.

Like this?

Before Bogo could properly respond, Judy was already standing right in front of him. She gestured for him to lean toward her. Despite the confusion evident on his face Bogo complied.

Judy gave a little peck to his chin.

It was simple, just a simple peck. Still, Judy knew that it was cutesy enough to satisfy any busybodies with nothing better to do than observe them. Apparently, most of the mammalian population just found the combination of smaller mammal and large mammals being affectionate to one another absolutely irresistible.

Bogo lightly touched the spot she’d kissed and nodded. “Yes…that should suffice. I suppose I could…pet you?” It was kind of funny seeing such a large and intimidating mammal thrown off his game like this.

Judy nodded. If he’d just started petting her out of the blue, she probably would have protested. But he was polite and asked if she was okay with it. Besides, it was just another one of those things that most of the mammalian population was enamored with for some reason.

His hoof lightly made contact with her head, gently moving down with the grain of her fur. Hooves felt strange. They were different than paws, harder. Not to mention that the fur he did have was coarse, not soft like the fur she or her family has or the fluffy wool her friends Sharla and Garret had.

Bogo was being gentle though. He wasn’t pressing down to hard or grabbing her or trying to tweak her ears.

It was sweet but also a bit of a problem. He was being a little too gentle and formal, especially considering they were supposed to be madly in love.

Judy couldn’t talk but she also didn’t want to break away to grab the pad of paper. He might just get more self-conscious.

So she nuzzled his hand.

He froze. Judy resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She wasn’t made of glass! It takes a little more than some faux-affectionate petting to bring her down.

It took five minutes before he started petting her again only now he was barely touching her!

Sighing, Judy stomped over to the paper and explained what he was doing wrong.

You’re being too formal. No smaller mammal will believe Lionheart’s fable if you act like that!

She could have sworn that he was blushing under that indignant snort of his. “I’m trying not to hurt you.”

Now Judy really did role her eyes. Flipping through the pad she found her first message and underlined it aggressively.

** I am not a child! **

“So you’ve mentioned, but with our size differences you may as well be.”

Judy jolted like she’d been with lightening. She didn’t want to be coddled for the rest of her life. She was an adult! At least in Bunny Burrow mammals treated her like an adult!

Still, standing on top of a dining table in a house that greatly dwarfed her, she was starting to feel like a child.

Crap! Judy quickly blinked away the tears forming in her eyes. She would not cry in front of him! She wouldn’t!

Taking a deep albeit shaky breath, Judy calmed herself down. She was done practicing for today…she just wanted to go to bed.

But, unfortunately there was one more issue they needed to address, and it was probably the most embarrassing one of them all.

She quickly scrawled it out in big letters, just wanting to get it over with.

What about scent marking?

* * *

 


	4. Office Romance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Never pegged the chief for a cradle robber."

* * *

 

Bogo felt an annoyed twitch developing as he drove to work. Even at six-thirty in the morning there was one word for traffic in city center: HELL.

It didn’t help that it was a particularly hot morning either. However, it wasn’t the heat itself that bothered him so much as it was the smell.

The smell of rabbit permeated his vehicle, emanated from the scent mark now covering his chin and neck. As though their marking yesterday hadn’t been awkward enough, Judy’s mark contained a faint but noticeable trace of arousal. Apparently because rabbits almost always smelled of arousal the scent was permanently fused to their scent marks.

Bogo groaned, dragging a hoof down his face. The large mammal could only imagine the teasing to come.

Thankfully, he wouldn’t have to deal with the teasing immediately. His and Judy’s marriage wouldn’t hit the news until at least eight, giving him an hour and a half of peace. After that…he’d just have to endure whatever his officers threw at him before redirecting them to their jobs.

Considering there were now seventeen mammals missing it shouldn’t be too hard.

Pulling into the station, Bogo took a few moments to rest his head against the steering wheel while gathering his thoughts.

Honestly, the part of the day he dreaded the most was going back home to Judy. Yesterday had been bad, really bad. After the snag with the bathroom incident earlier that day things had looked like they were improving between the two them. They were actually getting along, only to be defeated by petting.

Petting!

Bogo left the vehicle, slamming the door with much more force than necessary, before trudging into the building. A few officers were in the lobby. Some were clocking out from the night-shift, others were clocking in for the day shift, and others loitered around the lobby chatting and such.

Bogo was just glad Clawhauser wasn’t in yet. It was too early in the morning for that squeal of his.

In his peripheral vision Bogo noticed some of his officers’ noses twitching, their eyes widening in shock. Their shock was understandable; Bogo’s lack of a romantic life had long been a subject of teasing and inside jokes at Precinct 1.

The fact that he smelled of rabbit was also a shock. He doubted they recognized the scent mark as Judy’s. She’d only been an officer for four days, two of them spent outside of the precinct, and that was two months ago. They may be Zootopia’s finest but they weren’t wunderkinds,

Still, it wouldn’t be long until it circled around the department, especially when it hit every news station in Zootopia.

Bogo had never been so happy to sink into his office chair. His hooves on autopilot, Bogo grabbed a cigar from his draw along with the cigar clipper and lighter. He really needed this.

Within moments, the large buffalo had a lit cigar in his mouth. Breathing out a large puff of smoke, Bogo was immediately brought back to that strange dream from the other night. In particular, that rabbit’s little smoke show.

Bogo cringed, a sickening feeling filling his stomach.

Why couldn’t Judy understand his position? Maybe he’d phrased it wrong but he stood by it. She was tiny, it was fact that no amount of training or grandstanding could change. If either of them was going to get hurt while petting Bogo doubted it would be him.

Bogo’s eyes grew distant as he leaned his head into his hooves. Every time he’d held her yesterday and the day before she’d felt so fragile. Her bone structure…it felt like if he did anything wrong, like squeezing her too hard or handling her wrong, she’d break.

Insinuating that he saw her as a child was dumb, he got that. Child wasn’t even the right word; he didn’t even treat his nieces that delicately.

Bogo sighed, leaning back into his chair before taking another puff of his cigar. He needed to go about all of this another way.

As hard as it was for a natural pessimist like himself, Bogo needed to think positively. Focusing on the fight from yesterday wouldn’t accomplish anything. What were Judy’s good qualities? Maybe if he focused on those…

Well…she was nice. Her concern for others was genuine; he remembered that much from her interaction with Mrs. Otterton. Judy was also tenacious. She’d pushed her way through the academy after all. Even if he didn’t think rabbits were police material it was still an impressive feat.

She was fit. Her bone structure might be delicate but her musculature wasn’t. It wasn’t the thick muscle of Cape buffalo, elephants, or rhinos. No, her musculature was leaner but still different than large cats like lions and tigers. He didn’t really have anything to compare it too.

Judy Hopps was an enigma to him, a strange mix of frailty and strength that wasn’t going to be leaving his life anytime soon.

Bogo sighed, tendrils of smoke exiting his mouth. The truth of the realization just caused more guilt to bubble in his gut like bile. He remembered how hard she’d fought for that case two months ago and it only took a single phrase yesterday to bring tears to her eyes.

She’d tried to hide them but he’d still seen them.

Bogo put out the cigar before throwing it away. Maybe he needed laryngitis too; talking didn’t seem to be his strong point lately.

The police chief pulled out his files and spent the rest of his time getting everything ready for the day.

He finished just in time for debriefing in the bullpen. He headed downstairs for the bullpen’s side entrance, noticing his officers were discreetly staring at him. Even the team bringing in a cuffed hippo was staring at him. No questions or exclamations, just staring.

Something was up.

Glancing over to the front desk he noticed that Clawhauser looked like he was about to explode with a wide grin on his face, paws pressed into his cheeks, and his tail curled.

Clawhauser showing that much restraint was almost unheard of except—

Bogo suppressed a groan. It was a well-known fact at Precinct 1 that Clawhauser kept a batch of emergency party supplies under his desk in case something amazing happened and they didn’t have time for an actually party.

Apparently, his and Judy’s marriage was “something amazing.”

Bracing himself, Bogo walked over to the side door and opened it. In lieu of his officers usual table pounding was a loudly yelled “CONGRATULATIONS!” coupled with the sound of party favors being twirled and trumpeted.

“Alright! Alright! Everybody sit. We have one item on the docket but before that I should address my wedding. I would like to extend a thank you from Judy and myself for this…surprise,” he paused to clear his throat while his officers sounded off again, “However, save your questions until after work. We still have seventeen missing mammals and no leads! This remains priority number one! Higgins, Snarlov, Wolford…”

He gave out case files quickly enough and headed back to his office. On his way the officers not in the bullpen expressed their own congratulations and he was able to pick up snippets of their conversations.

“Did he really marry that bunny from two months ago?”

“Please! Have you smelled the guy? He smells like bunny and a little more if get my drift…”

“Never pegged the chief for a cradle robber.”

“Can you blame him? You saw that bunny’s hips! I wouldn’t’ve minded getting my paws on those!”

_Smack!_

“Ow! I said, ‘wouldn’t’ve’ as in past tense.”

“Strange, I didn’t think the chief even liked her…”

These were all drowned out when Bogo neared the front desk. Clawhauser finally exploded, “Chief! Congratulations on your wedding. Judy seems like a nice girl, I’m sure you two will be very happy together. Too bad about what happened in the burrows though. None of her relatives were hurt were they? That would ex—”

“Clawhauser!” The cheetah stopped his gabbing and Bogo sighed in relief. “Thank you for the…celebration, but I really need to work the Missing Mammals Case.”

“Oh. Oh, right! Of course sir.”

Bogo trudged back into his office. Along the way, every officer he passed congratulated him on his nuptials. Some gave simple thumbs up, others a pat on the back, and others just a simple “congrats.” Others miffed at not being invited to the wedding but only jokingly.

Bogo slumped into his office chair, never in his life more happy to pour himself into his work. He needed to get his mind off of the lie he was living and the Missing Mammals Case was the perfect distraction.

He went between them and the map on the wall trying to find…anything. Any link that would connect these mammals or give a reason as to why they were all going AWOL. So far the only thing that connected them was that they were all predators and that link wasn’t clearing anything up.

He looked over the cases for maybe an hour or two when Clawhauser buzzed in.

“Chief. There’s a lot of the press out here wanting to talk to you.”

“Right…” Bogo sighed, he’d been dreading this. “Get the lobby set up for a press conference. When it’s ready let me know.”

“Yes, sir.”

Bogo hung up the phone and groaned. The press was here for two reasons. One: his marriage to Judy or two: the lack of progress on the Missing Mammals Case. More than likely they’d link the two and blame his distraction with his marriage to Judy for the lack of progress on the case.

He calmed himself. The worst thing he could do now was blow up at the media. He jotted down some quick notes just to help clear his head.

  * First: he had to keep his “romance” with Judy separate from the Missing Mammals Case.
  * Second: keep information on the Missing Mammals Case minimal and vague but point out the ZPD hotline for information.
  * Third: keep info on his and Judy’s relation vague and draw attention on the crisis in the Tri-Burrows.



He double checked it just before Clawhauser buzzed him, telling him that the press conference was all set up.

Taking a deep breath, he exited his office with his notes in hand and headed for the platform where the ZPD held its press conferences.

The mass of reporters was great. Including the big stations like ZNN there were also gossip magazines, smaller publications, and tabloids present as well. Everyone wanted a piece of the story it seemed.

“Ladies and gentlemammals, I’m sure you all have questions pertaining to the news that broke this morning and I’ll answer them as best as I can. However as I’m pressed for time and I ask that you ask you questions quickly and efficiently.” Bogo began pointing to various newsmammals and began answering their questions.

The first few were easy questions, just asking if the news of his and Judy’s elopement true and if the crisis in the Tri-Burrows was also true. He quickly answered in the affirmative before moving on.

Bogo wanted to tackle the more difficult questions quickly and be done with them.

“Has your involvement with Judy Hopps distracted you from the growing number of missing mammals in the city? Last I checked the number had risen to seventeen with last three disappearing with in the last two months alone.” The ZNN reporter started the difficult questions off.

Bogo was prepared for this. “While, I do admit that my personal time has been filled with my relationship with my wife I can assure you that the time I spend at work has been completely focused on finding these mammals and bringing them home to their families. Since this is still an open I cannot discuss it any further. However, I would like to remind the public to call the ZPD hotline if anyone has any information pertaining to any of the missing mammals.”

A young rabbit reporter from ZNS peered up at him suspiciously. “Why did Judy Hopps really quit? As valedictorian of her class she had a promising future ahead of her.”

“My wife left the department two months ago in order to help out during the crisis currently being dealt with in the Tri-Burrows.”

She persisted. “Then why come back now? Why not stay in the Tri-Burrows and continue helping out?”

“She came back to Zootopia in order to gain Lionheart’s support in the reconstruction effort in the Tri-Burrows.”

“And how does your eloping with her fit into that?” This time another mammal, a koala from some teen magazine, piled on.

“My relationship with Judy Hopps started two months ago, shortly after she left the ZPD. I was impressed with her dedication to her community and after a while things just clicked. She was already planning on staying in the city for a while when we met up and it seemed like a good time to marry.”

The rest of the conference was mostly a blur. Reiterations of the same questions asked to provoke different reactions. The teen magazines delved more into the relationship questions while the other stations focused mostly on how it impacted his ability as police chief. One of the magazines even asked how they had sex. That quieted the crowd rather quickly, with some of the reporters looking disgusted at that reporter’s boldness and others looking very interested. Too interested actually.

He simply stated that it was none of their business.

Getting out of that conference was like passing an exam you barely studied for. You want to promise yourself that you’ll never let yourself end up in a situation like that again but more than likely you know you will.

Slumping back into his chair, the large Cape buffalo wanted desperately to pull another cigar out of his desk but resisted. He didn’t need his office completely reeking of cigar smoke.

Besides, he needed to focus on work.

He was working on the Missing Mammals Case when Lionheart barged into his office. The mayor probably distracted Clawhauser with donuts to keep from having his surprise visit being spoiled…again.

“Nice work with the press conference today Bogo, City Hall’s already gotten several calls from concerned citizens asking how they can help over in the Tri-Burrows. I take it everything’s transitioning smoothly at home then?”

“Things are going as well as they can, considering the circumstances, Mayor Lionheart.”

The lion nodded. “Fair enough. Anyway, the reason I came down here is because I have the perfect way for you two to practice your couple act in public.”

The Cape buffalo froze. He had a really bad feeling about this.

“And what would that be Mayor?”

The lion gave him a toothy grin. “This Friday the Crime Five is going to be meeting up at your apartment. If you two can fool the other three members of our little group, I’m sure fooling the press and public will be a snap.” A snap of the lion’s fingers punctuated the sentence.

The Crime Five was a group named by Lionheart that included the five mammals most involved in the city’s criminal proceedings: The Mayor, the Chief of Police, the Fire Chief, the City Attorney, and the City Financial Adviser.

While there were others who also helped in battling the city’s crime, these were the five that met up the most.

This meant Bogo and Judy only four days to prepare before they had to fool the biggest players in the city.

“That is a very short amount time mayor! Judy still can’t speak.”

The lion shrugged. “Then play it subtly. Overacting is the best way to get caught after all. Just convince them.” The mayor’s glare left no room for argument.

“Fine. Mayor. Fine. I’ll—we’ll be ready.”

“That’s what I wanna hear, Bogo! Now then, get back to those missing mammals,” Lionheart’s grin morphed into a serious gaze, “the public is getting restless and at this rate this charade might not be enough to save your job.” Lionheart headed for the door but turned back with a smile stretched across his face. “But, hey, look at the bright side. Even if you do lose your job, you still walk away with a beautiful young wife on your arm—or should I say in your arms.” With a small chortle, the lion left Bogo’s office.

Bogo waited until he was sure that Lionheart was gone before slumping into his seat with a loud groan. If he didn’t solve this case soon…this deal might be all for naught.

At least for him. The Tri-burrows seemed to making out well from all of this.

Before returning to the case, Bogo pulled out his cell phone. He needed that _Dancing with Gazelle_ app and he needed it now.

* * *

Bogo pulled the key to his apartment out of his pocket and opened the door. Today had been a long day with no leads on the Missing Mammals Case.

At least there was no press surrounding his apartment. One of the virtues being a naturally intimidating mammal Bogo supposed.

Setting his keys in the key dish, Bogo closed the door. Hand still on the door knob; he stared at the band that now adorned his left hand. It was still strange seeing the ring. He wasn’t much of a jewelry person, never even wore his class ring.

Putting on his reading glasses, Bogo pulled the ring off to take another look at the inscription inside.

_My New Dream_

His stomach curled at the words. He needed to sort things out with Judy now.

Slipping the ring back on, he walked into the living in search of his wife.

“Judy? Judy we need to talk.”

Her head popped up in front of the couch. The pad of paper was in her hands and written on it was, About what?

“About our…fight yesterday.”

Judy scribbled for a little while before showing it to him, You mean when you called me child?

“Yeah…that.” He walked over to the couch and sat down on the other side, leaving one cushion between them. “I…” Bogo sighed; he really sucked at situations like this. “Look, I don’t actually think of you as a child. Just… with our size differences you are more or less child-sized to me.”

That doesn’t mean I want to be treated like one. I’m twenty-four!

“Yes, I realize that, but you need to understand that I’m not used to…handling smaller mammals.” Bogo’s face twisted at that last sentence. That didn’t sound right. He shook his head, “You know what I mean. You’re structured much more delicately than even my nieces.”

That’s what the practice was for.

“Yes, I realize that…It’s just going to take a like a little time before I’ll be comfortable petting you.” He sighed, Lionheart’s announcement coming to mind. “Time we are short on, unfortunately.”

The sound of pen on paper had him looking over to Judy. How short?

“Earlier today, Lionheart stopped by office and told me that we’re hosting the four of the most influential mammals in the city this Friday. The idea is that if we can fool them into believing this farce, fooling the city should be a cinch.”

Judy sat wide eyed on the couch for a few moments before scribbling rapidly on her notepad.

In that case we need to practice again.

Before he could respond, Judy was already making her way right into his lap. He just stared at her for a few moments, arms spread and unsure where to put them. She just stared back, waiting for him to get comfortable he assumed.

Slowly, he set his arms down and rested one on Judy’s head. She still didn’t move; she just waited.

Bogo gently began brushing his hand back and forth over her head. Her fur was incredibly soft to the touch, much different than his coarse fur.

He seemed to be doing something right because Judy leaned into his hand, closing her eyes and even nuzzling back. Her ears were draped against the back of his hand. Gently, Bogo took one of her ears between his fingers and rubbed.

Judy seemed to melt at the action; she leaned even further into his hand and hummed lightly despite her laryngitis. The large buffalo felt his heart clench at the sight and he was suddenly glad that he had permission to call her cute.

Carefully, Bogo placed his other hand on her back and gently rubbed her shoulder blade. A soft sound of pleasure escaped the smaller mammal that ensured the buffalo that he wasn’t hurting her.

Judy leaned forward, nuzzling her face into Bogo’s lower chest. They stayed like that for a few minutes…

Until Bogo’s cell phone went off. Judy moved off of his lap while he pulled his phone out of his pocket. He cringed at the familiar name on the caller id.

He sighed before bringing the phone to his ear, “Hello, Moira.”

“What’s this about you marrying a bunny?”

“I take you saw the press conference then?”

“Yep, the entire school was chattering about it. I had other teachers, faculty, and parents bugging me about whether I’d known about my brother and the bunny. Now spill. How long have you been shacking up with the bunny?”

Bogo sighed, dragging a hoof over his face. He loved his sister dearly but she was…intrusive. The past ten years she’d tried to match him up with her friends, co-workers, neighbors, acquaintances, random mammals on the street, etc.

“I still can’t believe you’re allowed to teach children with how you talk.”

“Oh, boohoo! As long as I don’t talk like this in front of the kids nobody gives a crap anyway. Now answer the question.”

“Two months, like I stated at the press conference.”

There was a loud snort from the other end of the phone. “Please, you barely tell your family anything about your life. You really think I’m going to believe any of the crap you fed the press?”

“Point taken.” Bogo glanced over to Judy who was focusing on her own cell phone. She was fidgeting awkwardly, like she didn’t know what to do with herself.

He needed to wrap this up now.

“So you really only met her two months ago?”

“Yes.”

“And she worked for you? Isn’t there some kind of rule about that? Like college professors dating their students.”

“She’d already resigned by the time anything happened.”

“It’s just kind of hard to believe. You haven’t dated anyone since college when Melissa ditched because you told her you were going to become a cop.”

Bogo pinched the bridge of his nose. His sister was such a pain sometimes. “Do you really have to bring Melissa up now? That was years ago, I’m over it. The only one who still isn’t over it is Dad.”

He could practically see his sister shrug on her end. “Eh, Dad was more upset that you decided to go to the police academy instead of medical school and following in his footsteps. He and Melissa just happened to agree on the issue.”

“That being said, I am still married and yes it is to a rabbit. Her name is Judy by the way. Anything else?”

“So when are we going to meet the poor young girl? If she’s going to be married to you she is going to need some support. Besides, the girls want to meet their new aunt.”

“They’ll get to meet her soon enough…maybe next week.”

“Still don’t have a mattress for that spare bed yet?”

“No, and until this current case is solved there won’t be.”

“Fine…I’m having the rest of the family over this coming Sunday. Think you two can come over then?”

Bogo froze and apparently for a while because Judy patted his arm with the message Are you okay? already written out on her notepad.

“You okay bro?”

The large buffalo shook his head. “Yes, I’m fine. This coming Sunday should be fine. Judy’s recovering from laryngitis, though, so don’t expect to interrogate her. Okay?”

“Alright, alright. I’ll go easy on your little wife.”

“Goodbye Moira.”

“Bye Mason.”

He hung up the phone, thoroughly exhausted from the day and thinking about the upcoming week. Not only did he have his regular duties as police chief there was also the ever growing Missing Mammals Case, Lionheart’s fable, the meeting of the Crime Five Friday, and now Sunday would be a family dinner where he had to introduce Judy to his relatives and convince them he was madly in love with her.

Bogo slumped into the couch like a deflated balloon, his head resting in his hooves.

He should have gone to medical school.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay. This chapter took a lot of editing so I hope you enjoy.
> 
> Also, in the comments below I need you all to help me with something. In the text of the fic would you all prefer it if I referred to Chief Bogo as "Bogo" or "Mason"? 
> 
> Either is fine for me but you all prefer one to the other I don't mind changing.
> 
> In the comments just type 1 for "Bogo" or 2 for "Mason." 
> 
> Thank you for your help and support!


	5. Baby You Can Drive My Car

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Oh my gawwd! It really is you!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I'm so sorry about the hiatus! Still, I think it was worth it. The original draft for this chapter was no where near where it needed to be. It didn't mesh with the previous chapters right nor did it move the story in the direction I wanted.
> 
> Unfortunately, I have to warn you to expect this trend further down the road. Bursts of chapters and then silence. This is an unfortunate combination of life, my brainstorming process, writer's block, laziness, and poor internet connection. I am sorry but many of these are out of my control. Feel free to berate me on my laziness though. God knows I need it!
> 
> Finally, from now on Chief Bogo will be referred to as "Bogo" in the body of the text and as "Mason" in dialogue only except in certain exceptions like if its written down on a plaque or paper, etc.
> 
> Thank you for waiting and I hope you enjoy the latest chapter of Divine Intervention!

 

* * *

 

“…this street has several bars, clubs, and cafés. A cop bar named The Grinning Ale is just in front of us on the left. We’ll probably have to make some appearances there.”

Judy appreciated the mini-tour Bogo was giving her on their way to the store, she really did, but because of the size of his car she was only seeing the tops of the passing buildings. The passenger seat adjusted some but not enough to make a difference. 

“It’ll be a bother, but bars are loud and no one really pays attention so pulling off the charade—even in a cop bar—shouldn’t be too hard.”

No, the hard parts were two days from now when Bogo’s colleagues would be over to the apartment and again two days after that when she’d meet her new in-laws.

After his announcement the day before yesterday Bogo was tense and that alone pretty much ruined any chance of improvement in their couple act. Judy had gone to bed restless with nightmares of political giants and paparazzi tearing their “romance” apart like how the step-sisters in _Cinderelephant_ —the original cartoon—ripped apart her mother’s newly refurbished dress.

Then next day Bogo surprised her. Getting up before her, dressed for work and made breakfast before waking her. That in and of itself wasn’t too surprising. No, the surprising part came when Bogo petted her as she put of spoonful of cinnamon oatmeal in her mouth.

Other than picking her up and setting on the table or bed he never initiated contact, especially not without warning her.

Yesterday’s practice certainly made up for the previous day’s disaster. Bogo seemed completely committed to their act. He’d phoned her during lunch to check up on her and bought a small bouquet of three roses on his way home. Everything had only improved from there.

Judy stifled a giggle. Yesterday she’d caught Bogo completely off-guard and his reaction was priceless. She’d beckoned him to lean closer to her and she was pretty sure he’d expected another kiss on the cheek or chin or something like that.

Instead she blew in his ear.

He whipped away from her like she’d burned him or something, covering the ear she’d blown into with his hoof. Pure embarrassment was etched into his features and Judy’s ears had no trouble picking up his increased heart-rate.

Judy may not have dated much but she’d read plenty of romance novels and manga and her phone had a good number of _otome_ games on it.

“There’s a home improvement center not too far from here so we should be able to get you some smaller mammal amenities.”

Within fifteen minutes, Bogo had parked the car and they were heading into the home improvement center. The center was divided into three sections: Gardening, Home Renovation, and Housewares. Shopping basket in hand, Bogo headed toward the Housewares section of the store with Judy trailing close behind.

For the most part, there trip into the store was uneventful. The odd coupling didn’t go unnoticed by the other patrons but other than some whispers and stares they were pretty much left alone. A few snaps photos of them and it probably wouldn’t be long until their shopping trip was pasted onto every social media platform available.

Judy still wasn’t sure why Bogo chose today to go shopping, especially together. Despite their improvement in the last two days Judy doubted they were ready to fool the public. It made no sense why he’d risk them going out now. They could’ve easily ordered the dishes off of the internet.

But for some reason Bogo seemed to think it was so good an idea that he took the day off of work to take her to the store. If Judy could talk she’d ask him but it would still be a few more days before she was fully recovered.

How Judy couldn’t wait to be able to talk again! Sure, her forced silence had probably helped prevent an argument or two since their marriage started but she needed to learn to talk to Bogo civilly.

They had to learn to live together, for better or worse.

“Over here, Judy.” Bogo was at the other end of the aisle, beckoning her over to him. Indeed, he’d found the smaller mammal dishes and quite a variety of them too. Round and square, monotone and colored, plain and decorated, they were all there lined up for display with the boxes containing the actual product underneath them.

After a few moments of browsing, Judy selected plain white dishes and ordinary silverware. They’d do for now and later she might pick out some with more character. Besides, they kinda looked like the dishes Bogo already had.

Nothing said unity like matching dishware, right?

Right or wrong, Bogo’s shopping basket was soon filled with four boxes: plates, bowls, glasses, mugs, and silverware. Judy thought they were done but instead Bogo picked Judy up and lead her deeper into the store. No mention of where they were heading or anything.

Not that Judy could vocally protest.

Instead, Judy focused on analyzing how he was acting around her. Bogo seemed a bit more comfortable around her now, no longer holding her as tense as before and he was comfortable walking at normal speed with her in his arm.

He still hesitated before picking her up though. It was slight and subtle but noticeable.

They arrived at the aisle Bogo was looking for and now Judy could understand why he wouldn’t have wanted to say what he was looking for out loud.

Toilet seats, they were looking at toilet seats.

Setting Judy down, Bogo pulled a piece of paper from his back pocket. There was some writing on it but Judy couldn’t decipher it from her angle.

Looking around, Judy began understanding why they were here. Some of the large mammal toilet seats were designed with two seats, one for larger mammals and another for smaller mammals. The smaller mammal seat was just as large at the larger mammal seat; it was the hole that was smaller. It was designed so smaller mammals wouldn’t have to worry about falling in.

The police academy could’ve used a seat like that. Judy’s ears burned at the embarrassing memories of falling—repeatedly—into the toilet.

So far Judy hadn’t fallen into Bogo’s toilet but she knew it was only a matter of time—Say, a sleepy midnight bathroom visit—before she did.

Still, it surprised her how thoroughly the Cape buffalo had thought this through. They’d talked about the dishes and silverware but not toilet arraignments. Judy had been too embarrassed and stubborn to bring it up.

Bogo browsed the section a few moments before pulling one off the rack. He inspected the cover and both seats before look at the price. Then he kneeled down in front of Judy and held the seat out to her.

“What do you think?”

The rabbit blinked, not really expected him to ask her opinion. The dishes? Sure, she was going to be the only one using them.

A toilet seat though? She really didn’t care so long as it worked.

Still, it was proof that he was trying. Trying to make this work and accommodate her into his home and his life.

Since the seat was too big for her to lift comfortably Bogo held it while she looked at it. It really wasn’t anything special, just a regular white toilet seat. The only thing special about this one was the extra seat. Judy tested the hinge by lifting the cover. Smooth enough. She then looked at the seat’s side seeing how much taller the two seat would make it. A few centimeters but nothing she couldn’t handle.

Smiling, Judy nodded and a small smile even ghosted Bogo’s lips. By the time they made it to the checkout line they’d picked up towels, bathmats, a toothbrush holder, and a bath caddy.

Judy was ready to hop up onto the counter to pay for her items when Bogo stopped her. “Don’t worry, dear. I’ll pay for it.”

Judy blinked. It was the first time he’d attempted to use a pet name for her and it was…weird.  it was then that she noticed the mammals around them staring.

Right they had an image to project.

Smiling up at her husband Judy nodded, peeling her ears back in an attempt to make it look like she was blushing.

While Bogo finished paying, Judy noticed that many of the staring mammals were staring and pointing at the toilet seat not the boxes of dishes or other items. Judy supposed toilet seats were more personal than dishes and towels. After all, not many mammals bought toilet seats as housewarming presents. No, mammals that bought toilet seats together generally lived together.

Judy wasn’t sure if Bogo had planned for their shopping trip to help set up their romance or if it was just a happy coincidence. She supposed that it really didn’t matter so long as it worked in their favor.

And it was.

Back in his car, Judy expected them to head home but the buffalo next to her seemed to have different plans. She was just glad that they were leaving. The flashing lights in her peripherals probably meant the paparazzi were trailing them.

Hopefully Bogo was intimidating enough that they wouldn’t get right in their face like in all the TV shows and movies.

Bogo spoke with his eyes focused on the road, the annoyed look in his eyes telling her he’d noticed their stalkers too. “I figured since we were already out today that I’d show you around Zootopia. We’ll probably be playing hide and seek with the paparazzi all day but you still need to know how to maneuver around the city safely.”

At that Judy was practically vibrating in her seat. She really wanted to see more of the city. Other than the train ride into the city, she’d really only seen some parts of Savannah Central and Little Rodentia. Seeing more of it would be amazing.

She doubted they’d get through the entire city in one day but even seeing a portion of it today would be nice enough.

Judy just hoped they wouldn’t be staying in the car the entire time; otherwise she’d only get to see the tops of buildings.

* * *

 

 “Let’s rest here for a little while.” Bogo plopped onto one of the benches lined up on either side of the walkway leading into Little Rodentia. Not that Judy could blame him for being tired. Bogo had taken her around most of Savannah Central by now showing her various shopping centers, movie theaters, restaurants, residential districts all the while dodging reporters and paparazzi.

They still received a number of stares from many of the civilians around them but for the most part they were ignored. Pictures were snapped, posted to social media, and then they were back to their day to day lives. A few individuals came up to them, but Judy noticed that they only talked to her not Bogo. Judy supposed she was the approachable one in the relationship.

Judy sat on the bench next to Bogo, enjoying the relative peace and quiet of the park surrounding Little Rodentia. While she’d questioned Bogo’s reasons for the surprise shopping trip and tour she was definitely glad to be out of the apartment! Spending nearly a week cooped up was starting to make her go stir crazy.

Judy realized that she still needed to get a house key from Bogo. They should probably get it over with today since they were already out.

Stretching, Judy’s eyes trailed over to the gate that kept larger mammals from accidentally stepping into gated community to the statue that stood at the other end of the walkway.

That’s right…she’d been here before. She was chasing that weasel that had stolen the _midnicampum_ _holicithias_ or “moldy onions” as Bogo had so astutely put it.

The entire incident was part of the reason she was in this mess. Part of her still wondered how the ZPD would have handled that incident without someone smaller being able to chase the thief into the gated community. She’d barely been able to maneuver around and she’d been their smallest officer!

She doubted she’d ever get an answer to that question.

“Oh my _gawwd_! It really is you!” A tiny shrill voice made her ears twitch to the area near the statue. Turning her head, she was met with a large and dangerous looking polar bear that she very much doubted to be the source of the voice.

It took Judy a moment to realize that the polar bear was holding someone in his paws and another to recognize her. It was the shrew with the nice hair that she’d saved from the donut.

Grinning, the shrew looked up to the bear that was cradling her. “This is the bunny I was telling you all about! The one that saved me from the giant donut.”

The bear’s gaze landed on her and Judy did not like it at all. Every muscle tensed as the large predator’s eyes seemed to see right into her soul.

Then she felt a hand on her shoulder before being pressed into Bogo’s side. Looking up Judy noticed that Bogo’s eyes were narrowed and his jaw was clenched. The hand on her shoulder was tense as well.

Whoever this Koslov was Bogo didn’t seem to trust him. The way he acted suggested that the bear was dangerous.

The realization was not helping Judy’s nerves calm down in the slightest.

As Koslov and the shrew come closer, Bogo pushed her further into his side. Honestly, Judy half expected to be in his lap by the time the strange pair was in front of them.

The small shrew clapped her paws together, grinning widely at her. “I thought that was you on news. I tried looking for you after you saved me but I guess you’d left the city by then. Daddy and I wanted to thank you for saving my life. Congratulations on the wedding by the way!”

Judy smiled and nodded the small shrew really wishing she could actually talk to her. She seemed like a total sweetheart. Her companion (bodyguard?) was frightening though.

“Miss Patternoster,” Judy looked up at Bogo. His face was the same professional polite she’d seen him use during the press conference but judging from the hand on her shoulder and the side she was pressed into the police chief was more than ready to make a break for it if he felt he needed to.

The shrew looked over at Bogo, a slightly strained look crossing her face. “It’s Mrs. Clawriello now Chief Bogo.”

Bogo wasn’t fazed into the slightest. “Mrs. Clawriello then, I’m afraid my wife is currently recovering from laryngitis so her communication abilities are limited.”

Mrs. Clawriello’s eyes widened before she turned back to Judy. “Oh, you poor dear! How awful!” Judy just shrugged. It was annoying for sure but certainly not the worst thing she’d ever experienced.

“I know! I’ll get you a wedding present from me and daddy and my husband of course! Come on Koslov we’ve got shopping to do. It was _sooo_ to see you again!  Oh, where are my manners? My name’s Fru Fru, by the way—Bye!”

Judy waved at shrew as the polar bear led her away.

Slowly, Bogo unwound and relaxed his hold on her with a large sigh. He slumped forward, head in his hands looking even more exhausted than before.

“Of course, you’d manage to run into the daughter of a notorious crime boss during your short time in Zootopia.”

Judy’s ears flapped up like a flags. That sweet little shrew was a mobster’s daughter? That didn’t seem even remotely possible.

It certainly explained the intimidating polar bear, though.

“Don’t be deceived by her sweet demeanor. Anton Patternoster—aka Mr. Big—has been grooming her as his successor for some time now.” Bogo stood. “This is hardly the place for this conversation. We’ll finish it at home. Let’s get on with our tour shall we?”

Judy nodded following Bogo, still trying to process everything that happened in the last few seconds.

She’d saved a mobster’s daughter, a daughter that—according to Bogo—was being trained to take over the family business.

For the past two months, Judy had been proud that she’d managed to save a life during her four day stint as a police officer. Someone’s life was better for her donning the police uniform, even if it had only been temporary.

Now she wasn’t sure if it really had been a noble thing.

Judy knew what mobsters did: money laundering, gambling, prostitution and trafficking in drugs, weapons, and mammals.

Had she…had she saved a future monster?

* * *

 

Judy trailed silently behind Bogo as they headed back to the car. They’d spent most of the day combing through Downtown and most of Savannah Central. There was still a lot she hadn’t gotten to see yet but that would have to be for another day.

Besides, ducking paparazzi was tiring. Luckily they’d only been cornered twice. Once when they were getting out of the car near Zootenial Stadium, though that particular group seemed a little disappointed that the odd couple weren’t Gazelle instead. The second time was obviously a set up by a restaurant manager hoping to improve her business with the free publicity their patronage was sure to bring.

That smug grin of the caracal slowly crumbled under Bogo’s steady, soul crushing gaze.

Sighing, Judy just wanted to go to bed and sleep, sleep and forget everything. Forget the fires, forget Lionheart and his politics, forget Bogo, forget Zootopia, forget the ZPD, forget mobster polar bears and shrews, and forget her dreams…

She just wanted a clean slate, a reset like in a video game.

Unfortunately, life didn’t have reset buttons. Just booze. Judy had never been much of a drinker but the last few weeks were seriously making her consider altering her lifestyle.

Not like it wasn’t being massively renovated already.

“Officer Judy Hopps…”

Judy’s ears twitched at hearing that. She _fwipped_ her head around looking for the source of the voice but found no one, at least no one that was paying attention to her. Everyone around them was either heading somewhere in a rush or looking down at a smart phones.

Shaking her head, Judy turned to catch up with Bogo when she heard something again.

“Everyone comes to Zootopia believing they can be whatever they want. Well you can’t. You can only be what you are: sly fox, dumb bunny.”

That wasn’t the same voice from before. This one was male, the other had been female.

“I am not a dumb bunny.” Judy’s eyes widened. That was the first voice she’d heard and it was…it was her own. Judy looked around frantically. No one was looking down at her. No one was taking photos or even paying any attention at all to her.

What was going on?

“And that’s not wet cement.” It the male’s voice again. Now Judy was really confused. There was no wet cement around here.

Taking a deep breath Judy tried to calm herself. Somewhat calm, calmer at least, Judy looked around for Bogo only to realize she’d been left behind while freaking out. Rushing forward, Judy darted between mammals legs in order to catch up with the Cape buffalo.

Judy caught up with him before he even realized she stopped following him; which was good because Judy did not want to have that conversation at all in the future. The past few months had been bad enough she did not need to add “hearing voices” to the list.

They were almost back to the car when a voice called out to them. Thankfully this voice was actually attached to a real living mammal.

“Mason! I thought that was you skulking about.” A spotted hyena walked over to them, sharp teeth displayed fully in a mischievous grin.

Bogo sighed before turning to the hyena. “Been awhile Jasper. How’s the bar going?”

Jasper shrugged. “It’s a bar. Mammals drink, they curse and bitch about their lives, toast celebrations, and pass out on the counter sometimes. It is what it is.”

“You’re the one who chose to leave the force.”

“What can I say? I prefer stopping drunk drivers before they even get into their cars.” Amber eyes trailed over to Judy, widening. The hyena’s grin only widened. “I’m guessing this little bunny behind you is your new wife then.”

Bogo glanced at before nodded. “You would be right. Jasper Kaden, Judy Bogo.” It was still odd to hear her new name out loud and it looked like her husband felt the same based on the way he stumbled over it slightly. “Judy, Jasper is my old training partner.”

“Don’t forget I was also interim Police Chief during some bureaucratic nonsense prior to you taking on the mantle.”

Bogo snorted. “Interim? You just retired quicker than any Police Chief in history. And that bureaucratic nonsense was sorting out the corruption wreaked by Chief Swinton.”

Jasper held up a finger. “Most of which was implemented through bureaucratic nonsense.” He sighed. “Either way the past is the past and I’m being rude to your wife.” Kneeling down, Jasper held out a paw in order to shake her hand. “It’s nice to meet the woman that can apparently put up with this stick in the mud. But I have to ask what a young and pretty thing like you doing sniffing around Mason Bogo of mammals?”

Bogo deadpanned a “ha-ha” while Judy felt her ears flushed. She wasn’t used to direct compliments like that.

“I’m afraid you’re not going to be able to get anything out of her for another few days.”

The hyena’s ears perked in obvious interest. “Why’s that?”

“Judy’s recovering from laryngitis.”

“Oh…” Jasper looked back down to Judy, who gestured to her throat and shrugged. “You really know when pick a date, huh?” Judy swallowed nervously as Jasper’s grin grew more…lecherous. Bogo’s brow twitched when his former partner faced him. “Or did you cause that when you two were…celebrating your marriage. I bet she’s a screamer.”

Judy, feeling very embarrassed and uncomfortable, slowly slid over to Bogo and away from Jasper. He seemed like a nice guy, but who asked things like that in a _public_ _street_?

Jasper Kaden apparently.

 “Jasper.” It was a warning tone similar to the one that Judy’s mother used when one of her children had crossed the line. He’d used it earlier on the paparazzi and the caracal.

Had this man really been Bogo’s training partner?

Before Judy even noticed the buffalo lean down, she was already scooped into his arms. “That was entirely inappropriate, especially in the middle of a street.”

Jasper was completely unaffected by Bogo’s stern tone. He was definitely not the caracal from earlier. “So if I invited you two into my bar then I could ask?”

“No.”

“Fine…you’re no fun Mason. I was only joking around. But, yes, I suppose you’re right.” He turned to Judy, looking genuinely apologetic. “I’m very sorry Judy. It was inappropriate to ask that at all, let alone in the middle of the sidewalk. Can you forgive me?”

Judy blinked, still trying to process this strange acquaintance of Bogo’s. He was cheeky and obviously loved pressing Bogo’s buttons but he seemed rather sincere in his apology.

He was certainly an interesting character.

With a smile Judy nodded and Jasper looked relieved, scratching the back of his bashfully.

“Good. As I’m sure your husband will tell you—if he hasn’t already—I sometimes go too far with my teasing. He-he…Just so you know I didn’t mean anything bad by what I said.”

Judy nodded, still smiling even as Bogo’s sigh rocked her body back and forth. “Honestly, sometimes it’s hard to believe you field trained me.”

Jasper’s face morphed from apologetic to cheeky as quickly as his eyes left Judy and locked into Bogo. “And it’s hard to believe that you were going to school to become a doctor. Switching careers was a good call, you have absolutely horrible bedside manner! Remember that time I crashed on your couch after Felecia dumped me, the next morning you poured ice water on me telling me to get up.”

“The drunk get no sympathy.  Besides, Felecia didn’t dump you she barely even knew you existed then. You got drunk trying to gather the courage to ask her out and all you did was manage to make a complete and total fool of yourself at the bar by singing pop music at the top of your lungs. She just happened to be the waitress that asked us to leave or she’d have to call the cops.”

“I still believe that counts as a break up, don’t you Judy?” From the bright eyed expression on Jasper’s face he expected Judy to take his side.

Unfortunately for him, Judy was much too busy trying to contain her laughter to even nod or shake her head.

“Awww…et tu, Judy?”

“Can you blame her? You’re still hung up over that incident even though you and Felecia have been married for nearly twenty years.”

“It was a very traumatic moment in my life. I’m sure you would be hurt if Judy ever came to her senses and decided to leave you for a younger mammal.”

“I very much doubt that will happen.” Judy nodded alongside him, doing her best to look indignant. They had a part to play after all. For extra measure she huddled closer into Bogo’s chest, as though there was no place she’d rather be.

A genuine heartwarming smile crossed Jasper’s face. “Well…looks like you’re in good hands. I should head back inside; you two lovebirds enjoy the rest of your day.” The hyena was almost into the bar when he stopped and turned his head back.

“One more thing, Mason. Next time you see Claude, tell him that his gear has arrived and that my bar isn’t a drop off point for his packages.”

“You’re the one that let him stay in your attic last time he lost his apartment. I doubt my brother’s bothered turning in his change of address card yet.” Judy held on tighter as Bogo shifted from holding her with both hands to on one while the other pinched the bridge of his nose. “Any idea what that scatterbrain is up to this time?”

Jasper shrugged, “Last time he was here he said something about synthetic jazz backed by a Unicorn ocarina but…let’s just say he was more than a little tipsy at the time. Called a cab for him and haven’t seen him since.”

“Of course. Thank you for the information, Jasper. Have a nice day.” Bogo lazily waved, turning to head to the car.

“Same to you two!” Jasper’s wave was much more enthusiastic than Bogo’s and Judy was glad to return it.

Bogo carried her until they finally made it to the car. Once inside, the large Cape buffalo deflated like a balloon.

“Today was certainly…interesting. On the bright side, we managed to convince both a mob princess and a former cop that we’re together.” Judy nodded vigorously. Hopefully they’d only need to another day of practice to polish off their act.

Another day was all they had.

“The bad side, a crime boss’ daughter is giving us a gift…and gifts from the mob are never free.”

That made Judy deflate just as Bogo did just a few seconds ago. Exactly, what would a gift from the mob be exactly? Especially to the Chief of Police and his wife?

The thought was unsettling.

“We’ll just have to deal with that when the time comes. Since Fru Fru Patt— _Clawriello_ said you saved her…from a donut?” He looked over at her questioningly and Judy just shrugged. She’d explain that further at home. “…yes, well, Anton Patternoster is formidable but he is also a dying breed of crime lords. The newer ones are much more violent and less…honorable isn’t the right word but it’s the closest I can think of. He’ll certainly be thankful but with you married to me...” Bogo sighed, starting the car and pulling out before they ran the meter over.

“That hiccup aside, I have to say that today was rather successful. Jasper may act foolish but he was a damn good cop when he was on the force, probably one of the best in the ZPD’s history.”

Judy’s eyes widened at the compliment. It was the first time she’d heard him praise another mammal so genuinely. A small part of her was a little jealous; she doubted she’d ever get any sort of approval from him ever and if she did she doubted he’d ever say she was “damn good” at anything.

Mild interest was the best she expected.

Bogo continued “If we can fool Jasper on the spot with no warning or prep time, the general population will be child’s play. Friday and Sunday will be a little more difficult but not impossible. There are really only two mammals I’m worried about convincing: the City Attorney, Vera Fangsworth, and my father. They’ll be the most difficult.”

Judy nodded, even though she knew he wasn’t looking at her. It was just nice to actually be discussing Friday and Sunday. Practicing was fine but they needed an actual plan. Judy was new to city politics and she had no idea what her role would be during the meeting Friday. Hostess? Mediator? Mascot? Ice breaker?

Sunday was easy; she was a wife meeting her in-laws for the first time. It was a very common event in the Burrows, one she’d probably seen hundreds of times. The major problem was making sure Bogo’s family bought their fairy-tale romance whether they liked her or not.

If there was one thing growing up in such a large family taught Judy it was that you were definitely not going to like every single member of it or their spouses.

Still…Judy hoped they did like her. It would make things much easier.

Suddenly, Bogo’s phone dinged, indicating a text. He waited until they were at a stop light before reading it though. The genuine grin that spread over his lips caught her off-guard. He texted back before setting the phone back down.

“We’re going to have to head back to the home improvement center before heading home. I just got a text from my landlord giving me permission to switch out the front door for something more rabbit friendly.”

He definitely had her attention at that. A front door that accommodated her size? That was almost as good as the toilet seat. Judy honestly would’ve been fine with just a spare key. It would’ve taken some maneuvering but she would’ve figured something out. Even carrying around the large key would’ve been an adjustment Judy was more than willing to make in order to be able to come and go as she pleased while Bogo was at work.

She didn’t need to though. Bogo had thought her situation through and come up with a plan that would allow her to come and go without having to struggle with the door and lock every time she wanted in or out of the apartment.

What touched Judy the most about the gesture was the fact that he was willing to change so much of his apartment for her. Compromise did not seem like it was in Bogo’s character at all. If anything he seemed like the most uncompromising being on the planet.

In that way, Judy supposed she and Bogo were alike. She was stubborn herself and she knew how hard it could be to compromise. For Bogo to compromise so much of his home without her evening having to bring it up…

Judy grinned, sure it probably matched the one Bogo had given his phone moments before.

This crazy plan just might work.

* * *

 


	6. Meet the Herd, Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I hope everything's set."

* * *

“Judy, are you ready? They’re going to be here soon,” Bogo said as he checked his watch.

To say that Bogo was nervous was an understatement. The mammals visiting them tonight were the same ones he worked and consulted with on a regular basis.

Lying to them wasn’t a big moral dilemma for Bogo. After all, he’d worked with these mammals for years and not always on friendly terms. Crossed jurisdictions tended to have that effect on working relationships.

However, if anyone other than his family were to know his tells, it was them.

Bogo took a precursory glance around the room. Both the living room and kitchen were freshly cleaned. On the dining table rested everyone’s takeout order, still warm from being delivered only moments before.

The only thing that was missing was the apparent star of tonight’s show: his wife.

Sighing, Bogo headed to their room. What was taking her so long?

The door opened and Judy stepped out in a pale green sundress with a white rose clipped to base of her right ear. Bogo blinked in surprise, it was the first time he’d seen her in a dress.

He slipped his glasses on, just to make sure he wasn’t seeing things.

No, there Judy was standing in the living room wearing a sundress. With his glasses on, Bogo could make out a faint swirling pattern that was just a shade or two lighter than the rest of the dress.

His glasses also helped him notice that tuft of fur that was popping from the neckline of her dress.

Bogo shook his head, realizing he was staring way too long at her chest when they had important guests coming.

“Everything else is already set up. I’m sure most of the tonight’s discussion will either be on our marriage or the Missing Mammals Case. Maybe even both. Just, please, think before you respond. And if they ask you about your days on the force _do_ _not_ bring up meeting Mr. Big’s daughter…I still don’t know how to deal with that mess.”

Judy nodded, but her scrunched up expression told him that she didn’t like being ordered around like this.

If she didn’t like taking orders, a police career was definitely the wrong choice then.

“Good, you’re notepad is on the coffee table.” It was actually a new notepad, just in case a certain attorney decided to investigate.

Judy immediately scampered over to the coffee table and scribbled out a message. She held it up for him to read.

I know all of this, I’m not an idiot!

Ah, so that’s what she was mad about.

Bogo sighed. “I didn’t mean to insinuate that. I’m just anxious.”

Her expression softened and scribbled again.

Me too.

Before he could respond there was a knock at the door and Judy had scribbled another message.

THEY’RE HERE, was scribbled in a scraggly horror-esque style.

“You’re not helping and tear those pages out and throw them away, we can’t chance any of them seeing it.” He whispered this, albeit harshly, because Bogo knew just how well his voice traveled. Turning to the door, he heard the tell-tale signs of torn paper to know that Judy had listened to him.

Still, Judy had a point in her joke. They needed to lighten up if they were going to pull this trick off.

Smiling slightly, Bogo turned his head to look at Judy and said, “You look lovely by the way.” He really meant it too. Judy was a very attractive mammal; neither Lionheart nor Jasper was wrong about that. Being the warm blooded male that he was, it was one of the first things Bogo had noticed when they met.

Still, he’d long learned not to let beauty impact his judgement, a necessity in his line of work.

Judy was obviously not expected that because she froze, ears turning red before they were _fwipped_ behind her back. She looked away, but not before Bogo caught the small smile on her face.

“Thank you.” Her voice was still slightly rough and scratchy but so much better than when she’d first arrived at their home.

The last few days had seen a remarkable improvement in their couple act. After Moira’s call on Wednesday, Bogo was too tense and mentally exhausted for them to really accomplish anything. They’d gone to bed early and it was clear that both of them were anxious about whether or not they’d be able to pull this off.

Sleep came to him much faster than he thought it would and with it another dream.

* * *

 

_*Dreamscape—Three Nights Ago*_

“Good to see you again!” Murphy yelled over the churning water.

The strange imaginary rabbit seemed to be a big fan of art because they were in yet another painting. Bogo recognized it, though he couldn’t remember the name. He was pretty sure the painter was called Howlkusai.

Whatever the name was, Bogo and Murphy were currently on a boat sailing though dangerously violent waters with giant waves rocking boat up and down, back and forth. Salt water sprayed Bogo’s face and stung his eyes as he tried to gain his bearings.

“Why are we here?!” Bogo was in no mood for his imagination’s tricks. At the rate he and Judy were molding their act they wouldn’t be ready for their first wedding anniversary, let alone Friday.

The rabbit just smiled at him, completely immune to their surroundings. “This is your mind after all and a restless mind leads to restless dreamscapes.”

He called this restless?

Murphy shrugged. “Honestly, I think you’re making this a much bigger deal than it actually is.”

Bogo glared at the rabbit. “How exactly am I doing that?”

“You’re stressing out over this way too much. You couldn’t even continue practicing tonight because of how tense you were.”

Bogo glared at the dream rabbit, loathing him for being right. The boat hit a particularly nasty wave and nearly sent the buffalo out into the sea. Grunting, he held tighter onto the boat’s railing.

“Careful now, you really don’t want to fall in.” The rabbit floated up beside him, still untouched by the storm or their surroundings.

Bogo grit his teeth.

Smirk plastered on his face, Murphy spoke. “The problem is that you two are still thinking like single mammals. Both of you think that you are the only one that can make this plan work or fail. Needless to say, that’s the wrong way for a married couple to think, let alone act. Marriage is about teamwork and partnership after all.”

Bogo blinked, processing the information. A small, petty part of him was glad this strange rabbit—imaginary or not—was implying that Judy was messing them up as much as he was. 

Murphy had a point though.

“So, what do you propose?”

Floating upside down Murphy puffed his pipe. “Be married. Don’t just act it out in public but actually treat her as your wife—she legally is, after all.”

It was such a simple instruction, but one full of meaning and possibility. Legally, the governing powers of Zootopia considered them a married couple. That was a fact even if their romance was fiction.

Logically, Bogo understood that what Murphy was saying made sense…but mammals were rarely logical beings. Bogo considered himself a logical mammal but even he found the idea of a platonic marriage strange.

Murphy sighed, a dismissive shrug on his shoulders. “Honestly, modern mammals can be so dense. Wasn’t it because of political marriages like this that your Zootopia was founded? You think they _acted_ like they were married?”

Bogo knew what he was referring to. Back in Zootopia’s infancy, intermarriage was common. Granted, these were all political marriages set up to help the city grow and smooth out interspecies relations but they occurred never the less. As arranged and political marriage fell out of style so did intermarriage. It was only in the last half century that intermarriage was making a comeback.

It was a trend Bogo never imagined he’d join.

He could see Murphy’s point though. Mammals had married for reasons other than love for centuries and survived it.

Bogo needed to stop acting like he was married and actually be married.

* * *

 

And so he did.

The next day, Bogo did everything in his power treat Judy as his wife. Never having married himself, most of Bogo’s actions were inspired by his father and brother-in-law interact with their wives and—not that he’d ever admit—the rom-coms he sometimes watched in his spare time.

Getting up early, he let Judy sleep while he finished getting ready. During this he took an inventory of his apartment and anything he could do to make Judy’s life here easier, such as replacing the toilet seat and front door.

During breakfast, Bogo forced himself initiate physical contact. Judy looked startled but quickly leaned into his hand, nuzzling it. During lunch he checked up on her via MuzzleTime and on his way home bought her flowers.

It wasn’t perfect. There were a few snags, such as when Judy blew into his ear and he nearly fell out of his chair or when they ran into Mr. Big’s beloved daughter in the park with Mr. Big’s right hand man, Koslov. Running into Jasper Kaden wasn’t part of Bogo’s plan either but they managed to make it home, Lionheart’s fable intact and with plenty of time to install both the new door and toilet seat before today.

Hopefully it would be enough.

There was another knock on the door as Bogo neared it.

He opened it, letting his company in.

It was, unsurprisingly, Leodore Lionheart. He’d warned Bogo earlier that he’d make sure to arrive first and check things out.

“Bogo,” Lionheart nodded in acknowledgement, “I hope everything’s all set.”

“As set as it can be, given the time we were given.”

The lion grinned slightly. “Fair enough. Still, you must be confident if you were willing to be seen with her on your romantic stroll around Savannah Central the day before yesterday.” The lion’s grin grew, threatening to split his face wide open. “You two really blew up on social media. I’m tempted start selling merchandise with your faces on it. Imagine the profit…”

Bogo ground his teeth; it took a lot not to rise to Lionheart’s baiting.

Shutting the door with more force than necessary, Bogo lead Lionheart into the living room where Judy was waiting.

“Ah, it’s good to see you again Judy. Adjusting alright?” Lionheart leaned on the back of the couch; making himself right at home as he smiled down at Judy.

Bogo’s muscles twitched as he felt the urge to move between the lion and Judy. He squashed the impulse. He doubted Judy would appreciate being protected now; besides, he doubted that Lionheart would harm her.

He still needed her after all.

Judy nodded before standing up on the couch.

“Good…” the lion hummed and Bogo’s fur bristled, not caring for how Lionheart was looking at Judy.

“You look absolutely _ravishing_ in that dress.” Bogo’s was practically standing on end when Lionheart flashed a lecherous grin at Judy and the suggestive feline growl that permeated the word ‘ravishing.’ “If I’d seen you like this earlier I might have kept you all to myself. I’m sure I could show you a much better time than this block of ice.” He gestured to Bogo with a point of his thumb.

While he ignored his protective instincts earlier, Judy’s visible discomfort with Lionheart’s “compliment” pushed him to move behind her. Placing a hand on her shoulder, Bogo gave it a light squeeze.

This was the second time she acted so visibly shaken by a male making a suggestive comment to her. From what he’d learned about her this past week, this seemed drastically out of character. Bogo expected embarrassment and indignation not this visible fear.

He’d discuss it with her later, if there was anything he could do to help, he needed to know.

Lionheart simply smirked, apparently amused by Bogo’s protectiveness.

There was another knock on the door. Lionheart shrugged, heading to the door.

While Lionheart answered the door, Bogo tried his best to soothe and comfort Judy. Unfortunately, care giving had never been a skill of his and the best he could manage was petting.

Judy seemed to at least appreciate the effort. She smiled up at him and mouthed, “Thank you,” to him. At least, he assumed she said thank you. Her mouth was too small for him to read her lips well.

She leaned into his hand, eyes closed and purring slightly. Bogo felt a swell of pride in his chest, realizing that he’d managed to comfort her.

“Awwwww…”

Both bovine and lapin broke contact from one another and looked up in order to find the source of the noise.

Standing in the kitchen-living room threshold was none other than Wayne Tantor, Zootopia’s Fire Chief and the only mammal he knew that could give Clawhauser a run for his money when it came to high pitched squeals of delight. Wayne was a ruddy brown color instead of the usual gray and gray brown that dominated the elephant population of Zootopia.

“When I heard about you marrying on the news, I spent the next ten minutes choking on _air_. After all there was no way Mason Adrien Bogo had married a real flesh and blood woman. And yet here we are and there she is.” Wayne gave Judy a small wave with his trunk.

“Judy this is Wayne Tantor, Zootopia’s Fire Chief.”

Wayne walked closer. “It’s nice to finally meet you Judy.” Offering his trunk to shake, Wayne smiled down at Judy. She seemed to like Wayne, which wasn’t surprising since the elephant was friendly and had helped increase police-firefighter cooperation, something that most Fire Chiefs Bogo had worked with were too stubborn to do.

After she finished shaking his trunk, Judy scribbled down a message on her note pad reading, Nice to meet you too!

Wayne nodded at the message. “Thank you. Lee told us about your laryngitis. Hope you recover soon.” While Judy and Wayne conversed more, Bogo noticed Lionheart standing in the background watching them. Making sure their act was up to his standards no doubt. The realization only gave Bogo more joy at the noticeable eye twitch on the lion’s face every time Wayne called him Lee.

If Lionheart ever had a major pet peeve it was those three letters; which was why every member of his ridiculously named “Crime Five” used every opportunity to call him that. In private of course, none of them wanted to cause trouble with the mayor’s office over something as frivolous and insipid as a nickname.

Another knock at the door gave the lion an excuse to leave.

Wayne stared at Judy incredulously. “You have _how many_ brothers and sisters?!”

Bogo felt the corners of his lips twitch upward. He still had a hard time believing the number himself, but he also didn’t seen any gain in Judy lying to him. With offspring as numerous as that it was no wonder the race was as notorious for their sex drives as they were for their cuteness.

While Judy responded to Wayne’s astonishment, Bogo’s brow furrowed slightly. Speaking of sex, was Judy expecting any? Traditional sex would definitely be impossible for them but they could probably find…something that would work for them.

Wayne shook his head. “I’ve always wanted brothers and sisters but _321?_ I take it the Hopps household was anything but quiet then.” Judy nodded in agreement before writing on her notepad.

Bogo threw the though the thought out of his head violently. Now definitely was not the time.

Especially not the time, Bogo thought as his eyes caught the two new figures, a rhino and leopardess, chatting with Lionheart as they headed for the living room.

Wayne grinned over at the two, “What took you two so long?”

The leopardess, Vera Fangsworth, pointed at her companion Colby Rhinino with an exasperated expression on her face. “I caught this guy in the middle of a caffeine crash and had to wake him up.”

On que, Colby yawned. The man always seemed to be on a brink of falling into a dead sleep no matter the time of day and was often found napping when he was supposed to working. As a result, it was common to find him with a cup of hot coffee in hand.

Vera, on the other hoof, always looked ready and alert. There was a perpetual childlikeness to her face that made her look much younger than her 37 years. If Colby needed coffee to stay awake, Bogo suspected that Vera used sleeping pills to help her sleep because not once had he ever seen her look remotely tired.

“Besides,” Colby said, looking at his watch with sleepy eyes, “we’re not that late. I’m sure you only arrived a few moments before us, Wayne.”

“True,” Wayne agreed with a slight shrug. “So, now that everyone’s here I guess we should begin. Oh!” Wayne shouted, trunk held up in the air like a stop sign. “First, I guess we should finish introducing ourselves. Judy,” Wayne whipped around to face Judy, “the sleepy one over there is Colby Rhinino, City Financial Advisor, and next to him is Vera Fangworth, City Attorney.”

Bogo noticed Judy’s ears twitch slightly at Vera’s name and she stiffened slightly making Bogo wondering if warning Judy about Vera was such a good idea. At the time it seemed like a good idea to tell her but if it was just going to psych her out…

Colby gave Judy a sleepy smile. “It’s nice to meet you Judy.” Judy nodded, returning the smile. Unlike Wayne, Colby didn’t shake her hand. It wasn’t an insult though; Colby just wasn’t a hand-shaker.

“Yes, it good finally meet the bunny that tamed the bull.”

Bogo glanced at Vera and tensed slightly. Her childlike features were no longer innocent. She had the grin and gaze of a schoolyard bully scoping the yard for which kids to pick on, which to ignore, which to befriend, and which to manipulate for personal gain.

Judy slinked into the couch slightly; obviously uncomfortable with look the predator was giving her.

“Vera,” Bogo stated in a warning tone, “since my wife is still recovering from laryngitis I have to insist that you hold off on the… _investigation_ you clearly want to do.”

Vera blinked and the calculating façade was gone, replaced by the annoyed kitten from earlier. “Fine…but you can’t blame me for being curious. You’re not exactly known for romance Mason. I was sure I was hallucinating when ZNN broke that you’d eloped, with a bunny nearly half your age no less. I just want to know what she sees in you.”

Colby snorted, now lounging on the loveseat catty-corner to the couch. “We’d all like to that.”

Bogo sighed, acting more irritated that he was. “Jasper asked me the same thing. Doesn’t anyone want to know what I saw in her?”

The response was a unanimous, “That’s easy.”

The Cape buffalo rolled his eyes, now truly annoyed. “Never realized you all thought I was that shallow.”

Wayne laughed. “Oh, come on Mason don’t take it personally. We’re just teasing you.”

“Yes, I know but I just—yes, what is it, love?” Pet names still sounded strange coming out of his mouth but he only planned on sticking to classic ones. He’d die if the phrase, “sweetie pie honeybunch” ever left his mouth.

Judy had tapped his arm in order to get his attention, holding up the message, The food is getting cold.

“Right. How about we get our food and then continue this discussion?”

Everyone agreed and soon enough they were all sitting around the table, takeout in front of them. Bogo had yet to find a chair that would comfortably allow Judy to sit at the dining table that wasn’t an infant’s highchair, so Judy was stuck sitting on the table. Not that she really seemed to mind.

Eating may have halted conversation but it didn’t stop it.

“So,” Vera said, a chunk of stir fry in her chopsticks, “since we already know how you two met I guess I’ll ask…” She paused, popping the piece of meat in to her mouth, chewing as she thought. She swallowed before asking, “What was the first thing that captivated you about the other?” Grinning at Bogo she nodded at him, “Other than the obvious of course.”

Vera was Vera, amber eyes staring at two of them with childlike curiosity. At least it was Playful Vera that was out and not Schoolyard Bully Vera or, worse, Attorney Vera.

“Funny,” Bogo remarked in a deadpan tone that drew out laughter from the others, Judy included. “Still, I suppose the first thing that popped out to me when we met was her eyes.” That was true. Purple eyes were rare, it hard not to notice them.

Apparently though, everyone took that remark as permission to stare at Judy’s eyes, an act that instantly and visibly made her freeze up with a wide eyed expression.

“Well, that’s understandable. Last time I saw someone with purple eyes was at a costume party and those were colored contacts.” Colby was resting his head on one hand, droopy eyes staring into the carry out containing as he took a bite of food. He was the first to look away but Bogo wasn’t sure if it was out of decency or just because he was too tired to continuously stare at Judy like the others.

Wayne chortled. “Please don’t tell me a comment about her eyes was your opening line because that’s one of the most clichéd pickup lines in history. I’m sure Judy’s heard more than enough of them with those beauties,” he used to trunk to point at Judy’s eyes and the tip of it was only a few centimeters from her nose. Judy immediately went cross-eyed trying to look at the trunk in her face and Bogo had to cover his mouth to hide a chortle. From the twitch of her ears, though, he was sure she’d heard it.

Vera joined in, “Can you really picture Mason using cheesy pickup lines? If you can then your imagination is a true Celestial-given gift Wayne. Maybe you should quit the firehouse and got into the arts?”

“Yeah, Vera, you might be right. My stick figure paintings would be legend. Seriously, though, there had to be some flirting. Mammals don’t just suddenly get together and decide to get married without some connection.” Bogo internally sighed at his colleague’s naïveté. If only he knew…

“Mason flirting?” Lionheart added. “Anyone else get cringes imagining that?”

“My thoughts exactly, Lee,” Colby smirked, probably noticing the subtle ear twitch at the loathed nickname.

“You all do realize that I have dated before, right?” Bogo asked in a deadpan tone. Granted, he hadn’t dated a lot since Melissa but he’d still managed a few romantic connections over the years.

Eyes sliding over to Judy he vaguely wondered about her romantic history. Any exes he needed to know about? It would be good to know in case they ever decided to show up again.

Bogo sighed, only now realizing the holes in their act. They’d focused so much on acting they’d forgotten to plan backstory. Other than what Lionheart had fed the press there wasn’t much else.

Small paws on his arm brought the buffalo out of his thinking. Judy was next to him, paws on his arm and looking slightly concerned. He tried reassuring her with a smile but from the scrunched up expression on her face Judy wasn’t buying it.

He lightly tweaked her ear, trying to distract her. While petting her, he felt a small tremor shake her body as she sighed. Giving him a look that screamed an exasperated “fine” the rabbit leaned into his hand looking very much like the lovesick rabbit she was supposed to be.

Feeling eyes on them, Bogo slid his over to their guests who all seemed enraptured by the PDA in front of them. Wayne had both of his hands pressed into his mouth in an apparent attempt to keep from squealing. Colby looked sleepy as usual but there was an unusual spark of interest in his eyes. Vera looked surprised before smirking at him with the kind of smirk mammals used when they knew something others did not. Bogo made a mental note to keep an eye on the leopardess.

Currently, it was Lionheart’s reaction that concerned him the most. He was the one who set up this little meeting after all.

The lion looked over them with a rather apathetic gaze, continuing to stare at them for a few more minutes. Then his continence shifted into a smile before giving them a wink and thumbs up.

Internally, Bogo sighed. For everything they’d forgotten, they seemed to be doing all right.

“The public just loves displays like that,” Colby commented. He took a sip of his coffee before continuing. “I’ve been helping Lee,” _Twitch,_ “decide the best ways to raise money for the Burrows and since the two of you hit the new mammals have been calling nonstop. Some asking if you’re going to be at fundraising events giving speeches and others thinking the whole thing is some sort of publicity stunt.” Judy tensed slightly at the second remark, and Bogo could only squeeze her shoulder lightly in an attempt to keep her calm.

Colby snorted, turning back to his foods. “There are even some mammals that are getting way ahead of themselves, thinking your marriage will actually lead to the Burrows becoming a part of Zootopia.”

Vera rolled her eyes. “That’s not surprising; all of the zones have wanted to expand or create new territories for years. Remember that wolverine Chuckles from a few years back?” Bogo nodded, he’d worked on that case. The wolverine had been buying out a whole bunch of properties in hopes of creating a swamp district and he’d been more than willing to threaten any mammal not willing to sell out.

“A lot of the aquatic mammals have wanted the city border to extend past the lake surrounding the city. I’m sure the Meadowlands district feels the same way about the Tri-Burrows.” Wayne shrugged.

Bogo sighed; none of this was new to him. As more and more mammals came to the city there was more and more talk of expansion. “Doubtful the Tri-Burrows will appreciate having their land taken from them.”

Lionheart nodded. “Even with the Burrows in financial straits at the moment, expansion would still be far too expensive.”

Colby butted in with a chortle, “That’s putting it lightly, Lee…”

The lion glared at the rhino for the nickname before continuing before continuing. “Not to mention by taking land away from the Tri-Burrows we’d be cutting off our own food supply, which is already shortened thanks to their current troubles.”

Judy was still tense in his grip, obviously not sure what to do with herself. It was also probably the first time she’d heard of Zootopians being interested in buying out her home.

Carefully, Bogo wrapped both of his arms around the petite rabbit and pulled her into him. She squeaked slightly, making everyone at the table look at them. Bogo was sure that it was a strange sight to behold; it certainly felt strange to be holding Judy like this. Sure he’d literally held her in his arms before but there was always a practical reason for that.

This was simply for comfort and emotional support and Bogo was much better with practicality than emotions.

Wayne was the first to react, looking rather bashful as he scratched his head with his trunk. “Sorry, this is probably a sore subject for you right now.” 

Lionheart and Colby both looked apologetic but Bogo doubted the lion’s was genuine.

There was only one party that didn’t look apologetic at all, Vera. The look on her face told him that Schoolyard Bully Vera was back and she had her eyes set on Judy. From the way the rabbit was tensing in his arms, he was sure the Judy knew that too.

“Quite right, besides we’ve let politics get in the way of why we’re really here.” A crescent moon grin decorated her face.

“Judy never did answer what first attracted her to Mason.” 

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the latest chapter of Divine Intervention. Again, sorry about he delay but it looks like I might as well say that these updates will now be monthly. At least for the current time. Please bare with me, I'm working through some other projects at he moment but trust me I will not give up on this. I'm honestly surprised so many people are enjoying this. Actually, given the unusual pairing involved in this fic, I'm wondering how you are all finding it.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed the latest chapter of Divine Intervention! Please leave a comment down below!


	7. Meet the Herd, Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Mom? What's it feel like to be married?"

 

* * *

 

“—it was a minor miracle we were able to get all that broken glass up without anyone getting cut. Still, glass has been the least of our worries. Just the other day, Conner Lopson came running over to the house swearing he saw a snake during his patrols!” Bonnie had a frazzled look on her face as she told Judy this over MuzzleTime.

“A snake? Really?” Judy made a mental note to check with Lionheart about the Raptor Patrol. It sounded like the animals were moving in quicker than expected.

“That’s what he said. Conner’s a good boy but I hope he was mistaken. I don’t even want to think about what will follow…” Sighing, Bonnie shook her head and forced a smile on her face.

“Enough of depressing news though, it’s just so good to hear from you again.  You sound so much better than a week ago. How’s everything going? Are you adjusting well?”

“Everything’s fine, Mom. I’m adjusting as well as I can. It’s been a rather eventful week.”

“I know, Bun-Bun, I know. I’m sure you’ll pull through. You’ve always been able to face any challenge head on.”

Judy smiled at her mother through the phone screen. MuzzleTime was a godsend! After the week she’d had her mother’s voice and face were a comforting changes.

 _I’ve been married for a week…_ Judy realized.

Even with Bogo’s scent mark on her neck and shoulder, Judy really didn’t feel like she was married to him. Judy wasn’t even sure what she could call their relationship. They weren’t friends but they weren’t strangers either. What were they…?

“Bun-Bun, is everything alright?” Her mother looked concerned.

Judy nodded her head slightly. “Yeah, I’m fine Mom. It just kind of hit me that I’ve been married for a week now.”

Bonnie smiled, looking relieved, “Yeah, I remember making little realizations like that during the first year me and your father were married.”

Sighing, Judy readjusted herself against the pillow. “I guess that makes since.” Looking over at the soundly snoozing buffalo next to her, she asked, “Mom? What does it feel like to be married?”

“Well, that’s quite a question this early in the morning. I suppose it feels like knowing there’s someone you can confide in and let yourself be vulnerable around without fear of them taking advantage of your or judging you for your faults. Or at least that’s how I feel. It’s kind of hard to describe…like defining the word ‘a.’ You know what it means but it’s hard to find the words.”

Someone you could trust to be vulnerable around? Judy had spent so long trying to be tough she doubted she’d ever be comfortable being vulnerable around anyone, let alone Bogo.

Judy stared silently at the buffalo for a few moments. He was a stomach sleeper and tended to hug his pillow slightly while he slept. She could feel the hot breath leaving his nose as he slept. This close, Judy could see some aging around his eyes and mouth and noticed the scar on his brow. She wondered how he got it. Was it a childhood injury or work related?

There was still so much about him that she didn’t know. Would she ever be comfortable confiding in him the same way her mom did her dad?

Looking back at her phone, Judy asked, “Mom, do you think I’ll ever have that?”

Bonnie paused, opening and closing her mouth several times before sighing, a defeated expression on her face.

“Honestly, Bun-Bun, I don’t know.” Judy felt her heart sink at her mother’s candor. “I really hope you will but your situation is so unorthodox…” Sighing, Judy was about to thank her mother for her honesty but Bonnie continued. “Your father and I still haven’t met Mason but I will say that you certainly seem happier now than these last few weeks. Considering he’s the only new element I can only assume that he’s doing something right.”

Judy nodded. “Yeah…It hasn’t all been smooth but he’s definitely gone out of his way to make it easier for me to live here. He even bought a toilet seat so I wouldn’t fall in!” That still sounded ridiculous to say out loud.

Bonnie hummed. “I can’t wait to meet him then.” Her mother was silent for a few moments looking like she wanted to say something but was afraid to.

Judy had a feeling she knew what her mother wanted to talk about.

“Mom, I’m fine really. You don’t need to worry…that incident was weeks ago and I’m almost healed.”

Judy flinched slightly at her mother’s pinched expression. “Incident? Judy, you can’t seriously expect me or your father to brush what happened off as nothing, can you?”

“I was kinda hoping you would,” that statement was more to herself than anyone else.

“You we’re seriously injured!”

“My laryngitis isn’t _that_ serious and it’s almost gone. A day or two at the most and my vocal cords will be back to normal.”

“I just…I still don’t understand why you were even out there. Alone especially. Do you know what it’s like to get a call from the hospital that your daughter—”

“Mom! Mom…breathe… I’m fine. Everything that happened is over and you don’t have to worry.”

“I’m your mother Judy! That’s my job!”

A grunt next to Judy made her jump and she looked over to see Bogo mutter lightly in his sleep. Something about a crazy white rabbit? Tired eyes blearily focused on her.

He groaned before sluggishly lifting his head up, looking slightly more alert. “Good morning… Have you been up long?”

Shaking her head no, Judy looked at her mother and mouthed a “Goodbye” before hanging up. That was certainly one way to avoid an unwanted conversation.

Sitting up, Bogo reached with one hand to pet her lightly, which she leaned into with a light purr. As embarrassing as it was, the petting was actually really nice. “What time is it?” Judy made a figure-eight in the air.

He hummed, still petting her. “We’ve still got some time before we have to head over to my sister’s. I’ll start breakfast while you take a bath.”

Judy nodded and the two went their separate ways. After breakfast, Judy waited around in the living room while Bogo took his bath. She was looking through the books on the living room bookcase. Most were legal texts and police procedurals with some cigar, wine, and spirit collectors’ guides, a few books in French—she didn’t know Bogo knew French—and some classic literature mixed in. It was the book at the end that got Judy’s attention though.

It was next to _The Complete Collection of Edgar Allen Paw_ , a plain covered and old but well cared for photo album. Since the large book was practically her height, Judy was careful in pulling it out.

It opened up to a random page when it fell, spine first, onto the floor. Judy was a greeted with a proudly smiling teenage buffalo that Judy recognized as Bogo. He was holding up a trophy for second place in the eighth grade science fair. Around it were other photos from the fair, including one of him in front of his project on the mental health benefits of classical music. Not the type of project she expected from Bogo.

She flipped back, hoping to find some embarrassing baby pictures of him.

There was a few of him with a girl around his age that Judy assumed was his sister Moira. She looked like she was maybe two or three years younger than him and a few of them with a toddler, Claude she guessed. Their names were probably written on the back of the photos but taking his photo album apart seemed rude.

Judy also got the first glimpse his parents. They’d be much older now but at least she had some idea of them.

Bogo’s father looked a like a stern, no nonsense type of man that would throw any crap you gave him or his family right back into your face before giving you the boot. In most of his photos he only had a ghost of a smile on his lips but even so Judy could see a world of affection in his eyes when he was with his wife and kids.

His wife, Bogo’s mother, was a very beautiful woman with an elegance Judy could never hope of having. She wasn’t delicate looking, buffalo just were built for that, but she still carried herself in every photo with dignity and grace. She looked like she belonged in a Golden Age film. Some of her sisters had taken ballet since they were children and it showed in the way they stood and carried themselves. The way this woman stood suggested that she had ballet training as well.

Judy was so engrossed in the album she didn’t notice Bogo entering the room until he knelt down next to her.

“Found that old thing, did we?” He had his reading glasses on and peered down at the book, frowning slightly at the photos.

He leafed through the pages a little, not really looking at any of them in particular. “Afraid there’s not much to look at here except an old man’s youth. You weren’t even born when most of these were taken.”

The statement settled between the like a rock. It was still more than a little weird to think that she was married to someone nearly twice her age. Mammals had been making fun of their age difference constantly this past week but it was the first time Judy actually realized what that meant.

For the first twenty years of his life, she didn’t even exist. He’d entered adulthood before she’d even entered the world.

Her stomach knotted and she felt a little sick. Granted, they weren’t sleeping together but they basically had to convince the entire city that they were and the age difference didn’t matter. Would the act get easier with time or would it only get harder and harder to keep the lies straight in their minds?

* * *

 

The nauseating feeling in her stomach hadn’t left by the time they left for Moira’s. Bogo hadn’t spoken since he brought up their age difference and they spent about forty minutes sitting on the floor, awkwardly staring at the photo album.

Resting her head back in Bogo’s car, Judy had tried to squelch the queasy feeling in her stomach but so far it wasn’t working. Several times she pulled out her phone to use the new text-to-voice app she’d gotten yesterday—it was much safer than having him turn to look at her while driving—before changing her mind. She just didn’t know what to say to him.

Based on the awkward silence in the car, the feeling was mutual.

Judy wasn’t sure how they were going to fool his family with this tension between them. Could they pass it off as a bump in the relationship? Just because they were supposed to be madly in love didn’t mean they couldn’t have problems, right?

Sighing, Judy stared at the window. They were Bogo’s family so she’d follow his lead when it came to dealing with them.

Next to her, Bogo cleared his throat. “Judy…I should apologize a head of time for my family. I haven’t been the most social mammal so they are going to be rather…excited to meet you.”

Pulling up the text-to-voice app, Judy typed out, How excited exactly?

“I’d say to expect a lot of jokes about our age difference, mostly from my brother, and a lot of questions about your family, how I proposed, etcetera.” He huffed while changing lanes. “I don’t see anyone being outright nasty to you—that’s just not how my family is—but considering our age difference, the fact that you used to work under me, and that we eloped… there’s going to be some polite but direct inquiries from my parents.”

It was a kind way to say interrogation and it didn’t seem to fit Bogo at all. He was too direct for this ‘beat around the bush’ kind of explanation.

Was he _that_ nervous?

It’s not going to be like Friday then?

With snort, Bogo replied, “Not in the slightest, but that thankfully cuts both ways. Moira and Claude will probably be more like what we dealt with Friday, teasing and poking fun at us. Unlike Friday though, they won’t have to hold themselves to any decorum. You are technically family after all.  Nathan will be polite but not intervene too much; he’s a quiet and private man. Aimee and Noelle will probably be fascinated by you. Bunnies aren’t rare but it’ll probably be the closest they’ve been to one. Honestly, it’s my parents I’m mostly worried about.”

They coasted to a stop at a red light while the buffalo took a deep breath and slumped in his seat. “I’ve never married and haven’t been in a relationship that lasted more than two years since college, so _this,_ ” he gestured between them, “is going to throw up more than a few red flags.”

Judy nodded, understanding what he meant.

The light turned green and he drove, “At best, they might just assume this is my version of a midlife crisis and you’re just some floozy in for the ride.” He chortled slightly at that even though it just left a disgusted taste in Judy’s mouth, “This is honestly something I’d expected Claude to do when he turned my age.”

Yeah, it’ll probably get worse when they realize you don’t have a pre-nup.

The car swerved slightly. Bogo obviously wasn’t expecting that, but his off-hand comment reminded her of something they’d yet to discuss. Finances.

There was silence as that bit of information settled between them like a foul aroma no one wanted to acknowledge.

Judy didn’t care about his money, but the fact remained that Lionheart had forced them both into marrying one another without any legal means to protect their assets. Granted, she didn’t expect anything shady from Bogo since she didn’t have anything worth taking, just about $2,500 in savings and that minimum-wage amount income from the stock her parents gifted her. Probably peanuts compared to his savings—he did buy her a specialized door and toilet seat like it was nothing after all.

What really made her uneasy though was whether or not Bogo suspected _she_ might try something in order to get revenge on pushing her off the force like spend his money on stupid stuff, funnel it to her family, or divorce him when Lionheart was out of office and try to take it all. You know usual gold-digging choosing-beggar vindictive wife stuff.

Honestly, back when she realized just how badly Bogo screwed with her dream she’d wanted to hurt him; now she just didn’t care. Time might not heal all wounds but it certainly numbs them.

After that conversation with her mother this morning and how they’d interacted this past week, Judy found herself wanting what her parents had. Not the romance but just that level of companionship.

If they didn’t trust each other though, that would never happen.

They pulled into a residential neighborhood and within moments were pulled into a graveled driveway.

At first they just stayed there, mulling in silence. If the sheer awkwardness between them wasn’t so palpable Judy could’ve laughed at the situation. Just last night they’d gone to bed feeling so confident after planning out their dating backstory stuff and it only took one offhand comment this morning to ruin it. Now they could barely look at one another.

One step forward, two steps back…

“Judy,” she looked over to Bogo, “after we finish up here we should talk about how we are going to handle finances.”

Well, that didn’t sound fun at all. The horror must have been pretty obvious on Judy’s face because Bogo immediately backpedaled. “It’s nothing bad, I promise, it’s just…,” he sighed, “this is really something we really should have discussed and figured out earlier.”

He was right, of course. Judy nodded and looked down at her phone. Then she felt a hand on her head and looked up to find Bogo smiling at her. “Really, it’s nothing bad and if we go in with you looking all depressed like that my family will crucify me.”

Judy giggled lightly at that.

“Much better. Now let’s head up.”

With another nod, they both headed out of the car and up the walkway.

Moira and her family lived in a suburban homeowner’s association type neighborhoods where every house and yard looked like the other. Honestly, Judy found the entire thing kinda creepy. It reminded her of the fields that surrounded her house and seeing mammals plotted out like an autumn harvest just didn’t set right with her.

While her mood had lightened, Judy still twisted her wedding band nervously. The metal still felt weird on her finger. It would probably be a few more weeks or so before she was used to it. Bogo knocked on the door and she smoothed out her dress.

Since it was a formal Sunday dinner, Judy was wearing a lilac colored sleeveless rockabilly dress and ballet style white foot-wraps. Bogo wore a wine colored dress shirt and black dress pants, no tie.

A pretty female buffalo answered the door and Judy immediately recognized her as Moira. She and Mason favored a great deal except that Moira, being a female buffalo, didn’t have the conjoined horns her brother did. Other than that, both shared the same fur and eye coloring as well as some facial features although her face was narrower than her brother’s and her horns were noticeably whiter and smoother.

“Wondered when you were going to show up, bro.”

“Good to see you too, Moira. I take it everyone else is already here.” It wasn’t a question; the driveway to the house was filled with cars. Judy would be surprised if another would fit.

A sardonic smiled crossed the cow’s lips. “Expert investigator as always I see. Like you guessed everyone’s already in.” Brown eyes trailed to the ground until they found Judy, who tensed slightly. Slowly, Moira’s smile turned more genuine. “This must be Judy.” Kneeling in front of the bunny, Moira didn’t seem to care that her beautiful teal dress would get dirty.

A hoof came down onto Judy’s head into a rather rough petting, more like a noogie, making Judy squeak lightly.

“Moira!” Judy would’ve normally giggled at Bogo’s surprise if she wasn’t currently in the middle of the mother of all noogies.

Moira ignored her brother’s outcry. “Welcome to the family, Judy. Anyone who manages to slap a yoke on this stubborn male is okay in my book.”

Judy tried to nod but Moira was still petting her. Bunnies were naturally gregarious but this was pushing it.

“Wow…your fur’s really soft. It’s amazing…” Another hoof joined the other and Judy suddenly found her face being petted and mollycoddled by two hoofs.

“So soft…”

Great…she was one of those mammals. Bunnies were no stranger to mammals suddenly trying to pet them or touch their fur. The train entering Bunny-Burrow even had to warm visiting mammals not to pick up or touch bunnies without permission. Not that they listened…

“ _Moira_.” With that word of finality, the petting suddenly stopped. Hoofs loosened and removed from her head, Judy was finally able to see what had happened.

Bogo was crouched behind her, hoofs on Moira’s wrists so he could pull her hoofs off Judy’s head. Bogo’s serious expression sent chills down her spine. Moira on the other hand looked like she was just now coming out of a daze. Blinking a few times, Moira finally seemed to regain her senses and looked rather embarrassed by her actions.

“Hehe…I’m really sorry about that Judy. Guess I let myself get carried away.”

Judy nodded, trying to smooth her fur back down. She was sure she had a really bad bed fur after that. She wished she’d brought a brush and mirror with her but she hadn’t expected anything like this to happen.

Behind her Bogo snorted. “Still no self-control…honestly, why do they let you around kids?”

Moira glared with slight twitch. “I have plenty of self-control…mostly. I do at school anyway! I…I…” she looked nervously at Judy, obviously worried about how this conversation sounded. “Let’s just go in…and forget this ever happened.”

Looking thoroughly whipped, Moira slumped back into her home. Judy was about to follow her when large arms gathered her up and she was about six feet up in the air.

Bogo sighed. “Again, I apologize for her. She’s a good person just a little…lacking in self-control at times.” Judy shrugged. She really wasn’t one to judge a mammal because of their family. Moira was tame compared to some of her relatives.

Looking up at Bogo, she noticed him staring rather intently at her. She was about to ask what was wrong when he shifted her in his arms and slid a finger down between her ears a few times before stopping.

“Moira really did a number to your fur didn’t she?” Ah, he was smoothing out her fur. Still, Judy couldn’t help the blush burning her ears. Grooming was pretty intimate and other than her mother and close sisters, Judy had never let anyone else groom her.

Technically, Bogo was her husband but that didn’t make this any less embarrassing. Bogo started moving through the doorway, still carrying her. Before she could protest, they were in a living room with several Cape buffalo who’d stopped talking as soon as they arrived.

Even though the photos she’d looked at earlier were older, Judy still recognized them. The older couple on the loveseat doing a crossword together was definitely Bogo’s parents. Even with age they still held themselves with sternness and grace respectively.

Moira walked over to a male buffalo, albino and the only adult she didn’t recognized. Her husband Judy guessed. He was playing with two adorable little girls about five and seven on the floor. He looked scholarly and academic with a slight pot belly.

Over in the recliner was a younger male, probably only a decade older than herself, Judy assumed was the toddler in photos, Claude. Claude stood out in two ways. One: he was the only family member by himself and two: he was definitely _not_ dressed for a Sunday dinner. While the other men wore slacks and dress shirts Claude wore dark jeans with holes worn into the knees, a leather biker jacket complete with spikes and chains and a pair of aviators on indoors. He also had bleached head fur and a pierced septum.

He was also the first to address them.

Pushing his glasses up on his head he said, “Well, if it isn’t the prodigal cradle robber, loot in tow.”

“Good to see you to Claude, still job hopping I take it.”

Claude shrugged, “What can I say, I’m a free spirit.”

Bogo snorted, “Right, by the way Jasper says your equipment is at The Grinning Ale and to stop having it delivered there.”

He slumped back into the seat and gave his brother a thumbs-up. “Noted, I’ll get right on it.”

“Why do I doubt that?”

“Sounds like a personal problem.”

“Boys.” Their mother interrupted with that warning voice that seemed inherent in all mothers.

“Sorry, Mom.” For once they were in unison.

Bogo sighed. “Everyone, I’d like to introduce you to my wife, Judy. Judy this is my family. You’ve already met Moira, the man next to her is her husband Nathan and the girls are their children, Aimee and Noelle. My parents,” he nodded to the loveseat, “Ezra and Dominique and the tactful one in the recliner is Claude.”

Judy nodded with a big smile before typing into in the text-to-speech app, It’s nice to meet you.

At that, everyone stood up and greeted Judy.

“Good to meet you.”

“Welcome to the family, dear.”

“To think I’d get a little sister at 33.”

_Smack!_

“Ow! Moira!”

“Stop being an idiot and I won’t hit you.”

Judy giggled at the exchange between the siblings especially at their parents’ reactions. Dominque just shook her head in defeat, probably wondering where she went wrong. Ezra on the other hand looked proud of how his daughter handled the situation. There was an amused glint in his eyes.

That glint vanished as soon as he looked at her and Judy immediately felt her blood turn into dry ice. She was so cold it burned and stiffened in Bogo’s arms.

He turned to look at his son; the intensity of his stare remained the same. “So, exactly when were you going to tell us you were married?”

“As soon as I could, Dad, unfortunately the press beat me to it.”

Ezra snorted. “Yeah, our resident Chief of Police was a beat by the press when it comes to telling his own family he was getting married.”

Judy was close enough to see Bogo grit his teeth. “I’m sorry, but the wedding was spur-of-the-moment.”

“So you’re telling me that this young woman just suddenly decided to marry you?”

“More or less, yes.”

None of it was a lie; after all, Lionheart’s proposal had been completely unexpected and valid for that meeting only. Judy hadn’t had much time to think about it before agreeing.

Ezra still looked skeptical, looking back and forth between the two. Judy nuzzled into Bogo’s neck, partly for their act and partly for comfort. Her new father-in-law was putting her on edge.

His eyes locked onto hers. “Judy, right?” She nodded. “Proper wedding or not, you’re still family now, so welcome my new daughter.” He smiled down at her warmly but there was still some suspicion in his eyes.

Judy would take what she could get though and typed, Thank you.

His wife, Dominique, nodded with warm eyes, “Yes, as…unorthodox as your marriage is, I’m just glad Mason has found someone to share his life with.”

At that Moira clapped her hands together. “Well, now that the introductions are out of the way, why don’t we go and eat.” Everyone agreed and they slowly made their way to the dinning though the girls protested. They didn’t get to talk to their new aunt yet.

They remedied this by shouting out their questions to the rabbit as everyone headed to the dining room. Judy tried to answer as well as she could, even if they kept asking before she could finishing answering.

“What’s it like being a bunny?”

“Do you really like carrots?”

“How many siblings do you have?”

“How long have you been dating Uncle Mason?”

“Are we going to get cousins?”

“Girls, one question at a time!” Moira scolded.

Nathan nodded, pulling the chair out for his wife. “Listen to your mother.” He then left for the kitchen, probably to get the food.

Bogo paused, looking at the chairs s for a few moments. She didn’t know why until she realized that she didn’t have anywhere sit. Not that she could blame them, they still didn’t have a chair for her at the apartment. Bogo sighed before setting her down on the table, “I’m going to help Nathan, okay?” She nodded and he headed to the kitchen after his brother-in-law.

Moira was helping the youngest girl into the booster seat between them when she noticed the seating dilemma. She tried apologizing but Judy cut her off and saying it was no problem.

The young buffalo sitting between them helped change subjects by immediately starting on the questions again.

“What’s your favorite color? How old are you? When’s your birthday? Were you born in Zootopia? W—”

“Aimee! She can’t answer your questions all at once.” Moira is trying to scold her but can’t quite keep laughter from filtering through her voice.

From across the table the older girl, Noelle, said, “Yeah Aimee!”

Claude sat next to Noelle. “Weren’t you doing the same thing with Aimee on our way to the dining room, squirt.”

“Yeah, but I stopped.”

Claude smirked before giving the girl a light noogie. “Yeah, but only after your mom called you both out on it.”

Noelle just grumbled in response.

Dominque and Ezra sat down next with Ezra pulling out his wife’s chair, much like what Nathan did for Moira.

Dominque sat down gracefully. “So Judy, you grew up in Bunny-Burrow, right? What was that like?” Judy’s ears twitched picking up a light, but noticeable, French accent. That explained the French books she supposed.

Judy smiled at the older woman before answering, It was nice. It’s a farm town, so it’s full of hard workers and everyone has a heavy community mindset.  It’s much quieter than Zootopia though.

“I see. I come from a family that owns several wineries and vineyards in France and I always loved those quiet times.”

That sounds lovely. Judy paused for a moment before asking, Ma’am, did your happen to take ballet when you were younger?

That seems to garner everyone’s interest, though Judy’s sure that the girls were only staring because of the others are.

Dominque smiled and said, “You can call me Dominique dear and yes actually I did years ago. How did you know?”

Some of my sisters take ballet and I noticed that you move and hold yourself the same way they do.

There’s a hum to Judy’s right where Ezra is sitting at the head of the table next to her. He looked at her amused, “Good eye.”

Claude added on, “No kidding. Looks like the ZPD lost out when you left.” That single statement makes Judy’s heart sing. Even if her dream of being a cop was dead it was still nice to know that some mammals actually believed she would’ve been good at it.

Judy slams back down to earth when Ezra snorted dismissively, “That boy never thinks things through…” She blinked, absolutely confused. Was he talking about Bogo?

Moira spoke up, looking her father pensively. “Dad, it’s not like Mason forced her to quit. That mess in the Burrows drove her out.” Judy had to fight not to flinch at that. She hoped no one was looking at her.

Of course, Moira wasn’t entirely wrong, even if she hadn’t taken Bogo’s deal once she heard about the fire she would’ve ran all the way home, no second thoughts about it. It didn’t make what Bogo had done to her any less scuzzy though.

Judy hadn’t been listening to the conversation between Moira and Ezra and entered back in the middle of a rant.

“—doesn’t even consider the political fallout. Your mother can tell you that farm towns have it hard enough without disasters like this let alone being turned into spectacles. Councilman Woolerby told me that some key players in the Meadowlands district are already plotting out expansion into the Tri-Burrows.”

Claude chortled. “They really want that primary district status.”

Judy vaguely knew that there were differences between primary districts and subsidiary districts but mostly only what laws governed things like commerce trade over district lines, tampering with climate control machines and which subsidiary districts belonged to each primary district. She knew nothing about the political side of things.

Still, until she’d come back to Zootopia she’d never known that parts of the city were interested in expanding all the way to Bunny-Burrow! Granted, from what she’d heard it was a fool’s errand but it was still unsettling. The last thing Bunny-Burrow needed was more displaced animals wreaking havoc.

It was that moment that Bogo and Nathan came back balancing dishes full of food on their arms. Judy’s mouth watered at the smell. There were steamed vegetables, yeast rolls, deep dish macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes with sour cream and chives, and seared eggplant steaks. It all looked so good.

The dishes were set down in the center of the table with plates and silverware being passed out. Unsurprisingly, Judy’s dishes matched the girls but at least they didn’t have cartoon characters on them. Nathan left again while everyone got everything settled, while the girls whined that steamed vegetables tasted bland and they didn’t want any of them. Moira wasted no time in giving both a heaping serving of them before telling them that they had to clean their plates before they could have dessert.

Judy giggled at their sour faces. If this wasn’t a familiar scene…

Bogo sat down next to her, gently petting her head. She leaned back into his hand and looked up at him. He looked at her questioningly, like he was trying to silently ask if she was doing alright. She smiled and nodded.

Nathan walked in with a tray of wine and juice glasses with a bottle of wine and grape juice. He passed out glasses and Judy was more than a little surprised that they had a wine glass in her size. She wasn’t much of an alcohol drinker but she guessed a few sips wouldn’t hurt.

Nathan handed the bottle over to Dominque along with a corkscrew before setting the tray down on the table’s empty space. Dominque opened the bottle and poured the adults a drink while Moira and Nathan gave the girls the juice. Judy noticed that Dominque hesitated before pouring Judy’s glass after Masons but she supposed that she just wasn’t used to pouring such a small amount.

Even pouring wine she was extremely graceful, much different than how Nathan and Moira poured the juice for the girls or how Mason poured her drinks at the apartment. They weren’t messy really…it was just different.

Judy shrugged it off; guessing it came from growing up in a wine making family. Ezra said grace and then they began passing around food with Bogo asking her what she wanted and how much. She ended up getting a little bit of everything: some veggies, macaroni, potatoes, half a seared eggplant steak, and part of a roll.

At first, dinner was silent. Everyone was too busy getting food in their bellies. Not that Judy could blame them since the food was just as delicious as it smelled and looked. The veggies were fresh; the roll fluffy, and the eggplant steak was _amazing_. She took a tasting sip of the wine, red, and was surprised at how good it went with the eggplant. As little was she knew about wine, Judy knew even less about pairing it with food.

Within a few moments conversation restarted.

“Mason, while you and Nathan were grabbing the food and dishes your little wife pulled off a pretty impressive trick,” said Claude, waving a chunk of eggplant in the air slightly which Noelle and Aimee immediately copied.

“Girls, don’t play with your food.”

“But Uncle Claude is,” Noelle whined.

“I don’t care what Uncle Claude does, I care what you do,” Moira said pointedly before taking a bite of macaroni.

Aimee immediately lost interest and started eating her food again but Noelle pouted a bit longer before relenting.

“Really?” Judy had been paying so much attention to the little argument in front of her that she forgot Claude had asked Bogo a question. “Exactly what trick did she pull?”

A catlike grin spread across Claude’s face. “She only correctly deduced that Mom took ballet when she was young. The ZPD certainly lost out when she resigned on you.”

Judy’s body turned bipolar in that moment. While the compliments made her ears burn in embarrassment, the fact that she knew Bogo was now scrutinizing her made her the blood everywhere else run ice cold.

“Hnn… Really now?” Damn it! She could feel his eyes on her. She looked up at him briefly with a bashful smile and just shrugged before typing out, I have sisters who take ballet and they have a similar posture and gait to Dominique.

Bogo actually looks impressed but says nothing, only petting her and rubbing one of her ears. Judy purrs slightly before returning to her meal.

Claude is trying to stifle his laughter. “Celestials above, you two are so sickly sweet I might barf.” Noelle immediately goes wide-eyed and moved her plate away from her uncle. Moira and Nathan both chuckle at their daughter’s actions.

Judy giggles slightly and looks up to see that Bogo isn’t very amused. His eye twitches slightly before asking his brother, “I was wondering Claude… Exactly what’s a unicorn ocarina?”

Claude looks a bit bashful at that. “Jasper told you about that too?”

Bogo just nods.

He sighs. “I have no idea, honestly. It was the absinth. Makes you hallucinate you know.”

Bogo only gives his brother an ‘are you kidding me’ look. “Absinth doesn’t make you hallucinate, that just a rumor.”

“The rumors are right, it totally makes you hallucinate.”

“If it did it, Claude then it would still be illegal.”

“Er…well….” Claude stumbles for response.

While Claude is trying to come up with something the girls start bombarding Judy with questions again.

“How many siblings do you have?”

“How old are you?”

“When’s your birthday?”

“Why are your eyes purple?”

“W—”

“ _Girls_! One question at a time.”

“Sorry Mom…”

They pause to glare at one another before they both turn to Judy, trying to decide what to ask first.

Aimee asked the first question and Noelle looked upset that her little sister beat her to the punch.

“Do you have brothers and sisters?”

Judy nodded before typing out. Yes, I have 321 brothers and sisters.

Nearly everyone at the table was noticeably shocked and stared at Judy wide-eyed and slack-jawed. Bogo was the only one not shocked and wasn’t even trying to hide the smirk on his face.

Claude was the first to recover.

“Well, if that isn’t reason enough to marry a bunny I don’t know what is!”

_Smack!_

Dominique, of all mammals, smacked her grown on the back of his head, “Not in front of the girls, Claude.”

“Ouch! Sorry Mom…Won’t happen again…”

Judy can practically feel Bogo roll his eyes at his brother.

The girls look absolutely stunned. “Wow…Mr. Stork must really like your family to keep dropping off babies like that.”  Judy giggled at the stork story. Her parents had preferred the cabbage patch story, probably because they were already surrounded by farmland.

Yep. Mr. Stork is practically on our Christmas card list.

Aimee looks completely enthralled. Noelle uses this time to ask her own question.

“How old are you Aunt Judy?”

I’ll be 25 on the twenty-sixth.

Noelle’s mouth makes a ‘O’ before she scrunches up her face in thought. Probably wondering why her new aunt is so young or something like that.

Then her eyes widen and exclaims. “They’re the same!”

Now everyone is looking at the seven-year-old in confusion.

Nathan looks over asks, “What’s the same?”

She points over at Bogo, Judy, and Aimee. “Their age differences! Uncle Mason’s twenty years older than Aunt Judy and she’s twenty years older Aimee.

That effectively killed the light hearted mood of the evening. None of adults knew how to respond. After all, Noelle was right. Judy was twenty years younger than Bogo and twenty years older than Aimee. When Bogo was her age she was five, like the wide-eyed little girl right next to her.

Judy felt her stomach gurgle, that sickening feeling from this morning back with a vengeance. The food that had been so appetizing was no longer appealing in the slightest.

Bogo’s hand, which had still been petting her before, was not frozen on her head.  It was the first real stumble in his façade all day.

Ezra broke the silence. Judy noticed that he was scrutinizing them with an intense glare before breathing heavily out his nose in something between a sigh and a grunt.

“Like I said, you never think things through. If you two really think a twenty year age gap doesn’t matter, your marriage is dead in the water all ready. You can either deal with it now or go ahead and sign the divorce papers.”

It was silent until Bogo finally responded to his father.

“We’re trying, we’re really trying.”

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First things first, I would like to apologize for the delay in this chapter. I could give you bunch of reason but instead I'll simply say thank you for pushing though the unannounced hiatus and hopefully I'll be able to update much more frequently. I'll also have a little thank posted in a few days. It's not a chapter but a completely different work so I hope you enjoy.
> 
> Thank you for reading Divine Intervention. Please leave a kudos if you liked the story and comment down below.


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